ROCKINGHAM — Police have charged a mother — who has several pending criminal charges — with multiple counts of child abuse.
According to an arrest warrant from the Rockingham Police Department, 31-year-old Stefanie Lillian Lay, of Hamlet, left three of her children — all under the age of 16 — in a vehicle without the air conditioner being turned on.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, June 30, with outside temperatures in the low 90s.
While the warrant does not state how long the children were reportedly in the vehicle, if the outside temperature is 90 degrees, the inside-vehicle temp can be 109 within 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, the in-car temp can reach 124 degrees.
Lay also allegedly had an open 6.9-ounce bottle of strawberry-flavored Johnny Bootlegger (a malt beverage with 12% alcohol by volume) in the center console between the driver and passenger seats.
She was arrested and charged with three counts of misdemeanor child abuse and an open container violation.
Lay was booked into the Richmond County Jail where she is being held on a $100,000 secured bond. She is scheduled to appear in court July 10.
Online court records show Lay has the following pending charges:
2025 - (Hamlet Police Department) simple possession of a Schedule III controlled substance; simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; shoplifting
2024 - (Rockingham Police Department) misdemeanor larceny; second-degree trespassing; shoplifting
Lay was also cited for speeding by the N.C. State Highway Patrol for allegedly driving 81 mph in a 55 mph zone.
She appears to have no prior convictions in this state.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
