A Selma grandmother pled guilty Wednesday to attempted endangering the welfare of a child in a June 2003 case involving an infant that nearly died after being left in a unventilated car during a hot afternoon.

Willie Coker, 62, received three months of suspended jail time, three months of probation and a $50 fine, according to District Attorney Michael Jackson.

In June of 2003, Coker, along with granddaughter Jennifer Carson, left an 8-month-old infant inside a vehicle while they went shopping at the local Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Coker, the infant’s grandmother, later told police she had forgotten the child was with her at the time.

According to police reports, someone noticed the infant inside the vehicle and notified the Selma Police Department.

By the time Officer Jimmy Crowe arrived on the scene, the infant had perspired to the point of dehydration.

“His clothes were soaking wet and so was the car seat,” said Lt. David Evans, police spokesperson. “The child had reached the point that he was no longer sweating.”

Crowe broke into the car and removed the infant, placing him inside an air-conditioned police cruiser until an ambulance arrived.

“The baby’s body temperature was 100 degrees by the time he got to the hospital,” Evans said. “The child would not have survived if he had been in the car much longer.”

Doctors at the local hospital said at the time that the actions of Crowe saved the child’s life.

“This could was a dangerous situation,” said Jackson. “With spring and summer coming up, parents need to be extremely careful about leaving their children in the car.”