Police rescue 3 kids from hot car while mother appeared in court

Three young children were sweating and lethargic when police in Rochester helped them out of the car their mother left them in while making a court appearance, according to Rochester Police Department. 

The kids, ages 1,3 and 4 years old, were found inside a car with the windows up around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The car was parked outside at the Olmsted County Government Center parking lot, where their mother was attending a court appearance, police said. 

All three children were taken by ambulance to Mayo Clinic-St. Marys hospital where they were treated, then transferred to social services. 

Their mother was held at the government center after her court appearance due to a warrant in Ramsey County, though instead of telling authorities that her children were waiting outside in a car, she said they were being taken care of in the Twin Cities, according to police. 

The woman was taken into custody just before 3 p.m., and the kids were found approximately 2 1/2 hours later because the car alarm was going off.