A couple who was allegedly caught shoplifting is now facing additional charges after their children were discovered unattended inside a vehicle.

A couple who was allegedly caught shoplifting is now facing additional charges after three children were discovered unattended inside a vehicle.

The incident occurred on Monday evening when 24-year-old Gerald Moultrie and 30-year-old Tosheba Hope allegedly stole more than 650 dollars worth of items from a Lauderdale Lakes, Florida Walmart.

Police captured them not long after the crime, however they failed to tell authorities their children were still in the car at the time of their arrest.

It wasn’t until 7 hours later that cops learned about the young kids, who are all under the age of ten and the parents aren’t the ones who told them.

At approximately 2 in the morning on Tuesday, an individual saw the children crying in the vehicle, which was still parked in the Walmart lot. The children reportedly said they had been in the car since they got out of school the previous day.

According to police, they were visibly shaken but are otherwise unharmed. They have been placed into the care of family members and the Department of Children and Families has launched a probe into the case.

The couple is facing charges of child neglect and grand theft. The duo has since appeared in court, where they were released on their own recognizance.