Photo: GoFundMe
A North Carolina man with special needs died after his caretaker left him in a hot vehicle for hours.
The death of Dontarious Batts, a man with special needs believed to be in his 20s, unfolded on Tuesday (August 20) in the parking lot of Cleveland High School.
According to CBS 17, Johnston County 911 Communications received a call from 55-year-old Rogers Lee Inge Jr., Batts' caretaker, who told dispatchers he was responsible for the death of a person he left in his vehicle.
Inge, an employee of Universal Health Care, told deputies he brought Batts to his second job at Cleveland High School, where he worked as a janitor. He left Batts in the car with the windows up and the engine off at 8 a.m. and came back to check on him at 10 a.m. At that time, Inge told police that Batts seemed to be in good condition.
Once Inge got off of work at the high school, he returned to his vehicle at around 4:17 p.m. and found Batts dead.
In 911 audio obtained by WRAL, Inge told dispatchers "It's my fault."
"I didn’t think it was that hot today. I didn’t check on him. I forgot. I was working,” Inge reportedly said.
According to ABC 11, temperatures reached 81 degrees on the day of Batts' death. Temperatures inside a vehicle parked in the sun can reach up to 50 degrees higher than outside.
Inge was charged with involuntary manslaughter and taken to the Johnston County jail, where he is being held under a $35,000 bond. According to reports, Inge is also no longer employed by Johnston County Public Schools.
A GoFundMe campaign was started by Tierra Blackston and Tiquana Bradberry in the wake of Batts' death.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of our little brother Donte,” the GoFundMe page reads.
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