Cops: Great-grandmother left 2 children in hot car

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — An 81-year-old woman is out of jail on $50,000 bail after police say she left her two great-grandchildren and a dog in a car while shopping at a Charleston Walmart.

Geneva Roper Johnson is charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child and one count of animal neglect.

Investigators say an employee saw the 8-year-old girl, 9-year-old boy and the dog inside the car with the windows rolled up and the keys in the ignition around 7 p.m. Wednesday. She convinced the kids to unlock the car and come inside.

Police say Johnson was in the store about an hour, but she says it was just a few minutes.

Lawyer Will Waring says Johnson just had a lapse in judgment and didn’t mean to harm the children.