A woman in Laurel County, Kentucky, was placed under arrest after she allegedly left a 91-year-old man trapped in a vehicle during a very hot day. According to the authorities, she did so because the man had refused to buy her cigarettes.
According to a post by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), the incident ocurred on Thursday, July 2. At around 1:16 p.m., deputies responded to a residence located off Littontown Road, approximately four miles north of London.
Upon arrival, deputies encountered a vehicle outside the residence. A 91-year-old man was also at the scene, who had previously been found by a passerby inside the car.
The sheriff’s office said that a woman, then identified as 37-year-old Nikki Reed Hoskins, had left the elderly man stranded in the vehicle. She had pulled the keys out of the vehicle while in the roadway, leaving him behind.
All Over Cigarettes
At the time, the heat index was 101 degrees, a severely hot temperature that can cause a variety of effects such as heat exhaustion or stroke. Given that he was in a vehicle at the time, the car’s temperature was likely higher.
Thankfully, the 91-year-old man, who was not identified, was found in time. Deputies spoke with him briefly, and he told them that Hoskins had left him in the vehicle and then walked to her house.
As per the LCSO, the man told deputies that this had stemmed from an argument. According to him, the woman grew mad after he refused to buy her cigarettes.
House Breached
Deputies reached Hoskins’ residence and attempted to make contact with her. The law enforcement agents asked her to exit her home, but she refused multiple times, the sheriff’s office said.
Given her unwillingness to cooperate, deputies had to breach the house. Inside, the 37-year-old woman was hiding in her bedroom.
Her arrest didn’t go smoothly. She is accused of striking one of the responding deputies as they attempted to place her in handcuffs.
Arrested and Charged
The LCSO said that the woman displayed multiple signs of impairment. These included unsteadiness on her feet, slurred speech, and glassy, bloodshot eyes.
Nikki Reed Hoskins is charged with first-degree wanton endangerment, theft by unlawful taking, third-degree assault on a police officer, and menacing. The endangerment charge could land her in jail for up to five years.
Authorities, however, also found that Hoskins had multiple outstanding warrants. As a result, she is also charged with failure to appear in court regarding child support, failure to appear in court regarding alcohol intoxication in a public place, and contempt of court.