Mother repeatedly leaves toddler in car during gym workouts: Police report

A Florida mother took her daughter along to her Saturday gym session — but instead of taking the child inside, she allegedly left her in the car alone.

Iranique Nyesha Martin, 38, is facing a charge of child neglect without serious bodily injury. 

As per a probable cause arrest affidavit, an individual approached a police officer on patrol outside Crunch Fitness in Sweetwater, located in the Miami vicinity, reporting that he noticed a young child, who seemed about 3 years old, left alone in the car's backseat near the gym.

The man reportedly stated that he saw the same child alone in the vehicle the previous day, and spotting her alone again prompted him to notify the authorities.

Officers then inspected the parking area, finding the car with the engine running and the child inside, according to the affidavit. 

Shortly thereafter, Martin reportedly came out of the gym and acknowledged that she was the girl's mother.

When asked if she had been inside the gym, she allegedly replied, "Yes, I was using the restroom," implying to police that her absence was brief. 

Officers had Martin unlock the car to allow them to check on the child. They observed the child was unharmed, but she was unrestrained and there was no car seat present in the vehicle, as noted in the affidavit. 

However, surveillance footage allegedly indicated Martin was inside the gym for approximately an hour, during which she worked out and took a shower, according to police.

"Given the child's age and inability to care for herself, this exposed the child to an unrealistic risk of harm, constituting child neglect," wrote the officers.

Martin was taken to the Miami-Dade jail with her bail set at $20,000. The child was entrusted to the care of her father, as noted in the affidavit.

Her subsequent court appearance is scheduled for May 19.