Caregiver Rogers Lee Inge Jr., admits guilt after leaving 22-year-old autistic client in sweltering car for six hours while working custodial shift
Rogers Lee Inge Jr., a 55-year-old caregiver from Warrenton, North Carolina, was sentenced to prison for the tragic death of his autistic and non-verbal client, 22-year-old Dontarious Batts.
Inge pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors revealed the disturbing details of August 20, 2024 — the day Donte lost his life in the backseat of a locked vehicle.
Left in a Hot Car for Hours
Investigators say Inge, who was employed as a full-time caregiver, arrived at Cleveland High School in Johnston County for his custodial shift around 10:00 a.m. Instead of taking Donte inside or arranging for his supervision, he left him in the locked vehicle with the windows rolled up and the engine off.
For nearly six hours, Donte remained inside the sweltering car as temperatures soared. When Inge returned to the car around 4:00 p.m., Donte was unresponsive.
An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as hyperthermia — a condition caused by dangerously high body temperature, often resulting from extreme heat exposure.
Following the incident, Rogers Lee Inge Jr. was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was held on a $35,000 bond and fired from his job with Johnston County Public Schools.
Standing before Judge Vince Rozier, Inge admitted he had abused his position of trust. The judge imposed an aggravated prison sentence of one-and-a-half to nearly three years in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, as reported by JOCO Report.
Donte’s family described him as a loving soul whose disabilities never stopped him from brightening a room.
