Tamaqua police cited a Coaldale woman after she left three young children alone in a vehicle while she and another woman went into the Dollar General Store on June 15.

Police were dispatched to the East Broad Street store at 4:28 p.m. after receiving a call from a concerned citizen. That woman had pulled into a parking space and saw the three youngsters alone. The temperature was in the mid 80s at the time, prompting her to call police.Two women, later identified as Maria Dean and Nicole Butrie, exited the store and began yelling at each other when they saw the police officer. Dean, the children's mother, and Butrie said they had been moving all day and just ran into the store to make a quick purchase. They estimated they were in the store, out of sight of the car, for about five minutes. Both said they left the engine running so the air conditioner would work.The children were 8 and 6 years old and an 8-month-old. Police said the baby's clothes were wet with sweat.They were charged with leaving the children unattended.