SCOTT COUNTY — Two people were arrested during a traffic stop after three children were found in the back of a box truck on I-65 near the Scottsburg exit.
Fabiana Perez-Ramirez, 34, of Seymour and Sebastian Domingo, 36, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, each face four counts of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony. Domingo also faces a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while never licensed.
At 7 p.m. Friday, officers with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Interstate 65 south of the Scottsburg exit after a concerned motorist saw a child’s arm sticking out of the rear of a box truck, according to a news release from the agency.
After locating the box truck and initiating a traffic stop, officers searched the back of the truck and found three children inside. Police said the temperature inside the box container was extreme, and officers immediately requested Scott County Emergency Medical Services to respond to the scene.
The driver of the truck, identified as Domingo, and the passenger, identified as Perez-Ramirez, were arrested. Police later identified Perez-Ramirez as the mother of the children.
Officers also located an infant child strapped into an unrestrained child seat inside the cab of the truck.
As first responders tended to all of the children, Domingo and Perez-Ramirez were transported to the Scott County Detention Center in Scottsburg.
After an on-scene examination by EMS personnel, the children were transported to Scott Memorial Health in Scottsburg due to elevated body temperature concerns. The children’s condition has not been released.
Detective-First Sgt. Jacklyn Shofner filed charges against Perez-Ramirez and Domingo. She was assisted by fellow sheriff’s officers, Scott County EMS, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department dispatch and the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office.
