A Rossville couple has been arrested for leaving two children unattended in a car.

According to Rossville Police Department reports:

Robert Youngblood Burgess Sr., 35, and Sherry Diane Burks, 24, of Chambers Street in Rossville were arrested at 12:45 a.m. July 1 while at a store on Chickamauga Avenue.

A call had been place to authorities regarding the safety of children being left in a 2002 Chrysler minivan.

According to officer Matthew Cole, it was 100 degrees upon arriving at the location. He noticed three children — ages 1, 3 and 6 — sitting in a vehicle that had the windows closed and the vehicle was not running.

Cole opened the vehicle door to check on the kids, then went inside the store to find the driver. The couple were at the register.

Cole had Burks turn the vehicle on to provide air conditioning for the kids. The couple said they had been in the store for 5-10 minutes. After reviewing the store’s surveillance tape, Cole determined the children were in the hot car for more than 20 minutes while the couple was shopping.

The children were turned over to their grandmother.

Burgess and Burks face first-degree charges of cruelty to children. An incident report was sent to the Department of Family and Children’s Services.