A Macon woman was charged today with misdemeanor child neglect after Roanoke Rapids police determined she was reportedly leaving her 8-month-old child in a vehicle while she worked.

Captain Jamie Hardy said in a statement the Halifax County Department of Social Services contacted police and were told the woman, identified as Cheneece Steed, was leaving the child in a vehicle while she worked all day at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Investigators Gorton Williams and D. Moore went to the business and discovered the child in a Chevrolet Impala with the windows rolled up and doors locked.

While the officers were monitoring the welfare of the child they encountered the mother.

Hardy said this afternoon the child had not sustained any physical injuries and investigators are still trying to determine how long this went on.

He said Steed reportedly said she had been doing this because of the high costs of daycare.

Williams arrested the mother and contacted social services to assist with the child.

Steed was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond with an April 1 court date.

Social services allowed the child to be released back to the mother and father, Hardy said in the statement. 

He could not say what factors played into the decision to allow the child to return to the mother and father’s custody.