On Thursday, March 20, 2025, around 6:30 p.m., Sebastian Police Department officers were called to the Walmart at 2001 US-1 regarding a shoplifting incident.
The theft investigation quickly escalated into a case of child neglect after officers discovered two juveniles left unattended in a hot vehicle.
When officers arrived, they were led to the store loss prevention office, where a woman, later identified as Katherine Leone Gordon, 65, from Barefoot Bay, was located.
According to the police affidavit, Gordon was accused of tampering with barcodes by placing lower-priced ones over the original tags on various items, presumably to pay less at the register. She then proceeded to the self-checkout, where she scanned the falsified barcodes.
After completing her transaction, Gordon walked past all points of sale toward the grocery exit without attempting to pay full price for the merchandise, which was later valued at $83.67.
During the investigation, Gordon made offhand remarks about ice cream she had purchased melting due to the delay. She also casually mentioned to a store employee that children were waiting in her vehicle. This prompted officers to question her further.
Gordon admitted to intentionally leaving two juveniles in her red Ford truck, parked in the first handicap spot near the grocery entrance, without the engine running. She claimed she didn’t think it was hot enough outside—despite temperatures hovering between 82 and 85 degrees—to warrant leaving the air conditioning on or giving the juveniles the keys.
Additional officers were dispatched to check on the children. They found the two juveniles inside the locked vehicle—one in the back seat watching a tablet, the other in the front seat using a cell phone. The truck’s windows were rolled up, and the engine was off, leaving no airflow.
When an officer attempted to open the door and found it locked, the front-seat juvenile unlocked it at the officer’s request. As the door swung open, the officer reported feeling a “rush of heat” from inside and observed heavy condensation on the windows—a sign of poor ventilation and carbon dioxide buildup. Both children were sweating profusely and appeared frightened, asking what was happening.
The juveniles were able to contact a guardian, and EMS was called to evaluate them. After an hour in the stifling vehicle, their vitals were found to be within normal range.
Surveillance footage later revealed Gordon had parked at 5:52 p.m. and spent over an hour shopping, with officers locating the children at approximately 6:58 p.m.
When questioned, Gordon showed little concern, insisting it wasn’t a problem to leave the juveniles in the vehicle as long as it wasn’t running. She added that the children’s parents “do it all the time.”
The police explained out how risky it can be to leave a vehicle closed up in Florida’s heat, though Gordon remained dismissive. Yet, moments later, while sitting in the patrol car, she was fast to grumble about the warmth and requested the door or windows be opened.
An officer mentioned that the kids might not have had the strength to open the doors themselves due to heat-induced impairment, but Gordon insisting, “They were fine.”
Walmart surveillance footage corroborated the timeline and Gordon’s actions. It showed her entering alone, selecting drinks, food, and household items, and deliberately placing pre-cut barcodes from her purse onto various products.
Gordon was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect and one count of second-degree petit theft. She was transported to the Indian River County Jail, where she is being held on a $3,000 bond.
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