Kentucky woman left man, 91, locked inside car on 101 degree day after he refused to buy her cigarettes, cops say

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 06:46, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 06:52, 8 July 2026 A Kentucky woman allegedly left a 91–year–old man locked inside his car in scorching 101 degree heat after he refused to buy her cigarettes. Nikki Reed Hoskins, 37, was arrested last Thursday in East Bernstadt, about 75 miles south of Lexington, for locking the senior inside his vehicle and pulling the keys out, according to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office. The elderly man was left in blistering triple digit degree temperature on the roadway, forcing him to call 911 around 1.15pm. He claimed that Hoskins, of East Bernstadt, left him stranded inside the car 'because he wouldn't buy her cigarettes.' Deputies then went to Hoskins' home on Littontown Road, about four miles away, but she refused to exit despite numerous attempts. Officers eventually entered and found her hiding in the bedroom. When she was taken into custody, she allegedly hit one of the deputies before being arrested. Hoskins was allegedly slurring her speech and had glassy bloodshot eyes, leading deputies to determine that she was under the influence. Nikki Reed Hoskins, 37, was charged with wanton endangerment, theft by unlawful taking, assault on a police officer and menacing after allegedly locking a man, 91, inside his car Hoskins is accused of having left the man stranded inside the car on a roadway about 4 miles from her home on Littontown Road in East Bernstadt, Kentucky Additionally, police officers claimed that she was unsteady on her feet at the time of her arrest. Hoskins was charged with first–degree wanton endangerment, theft by unlawful taking, third–degree assault on a police officer and menacing. It was not revealed how, or if, she knew the 91–year–old man prior to last week's alleged incident. She was also served with two outstanding Laurel District Court bench warrants for allegedly failing to appear in court on separate cases. Those involved child support and charges of public intoxication and contempt of court, according to the outlet. Hoskins was booked into the Laurel County Correctional Center after being taken into custody. She was being held on a $10,000 cash–only bond in connection with the new charges, according to records cited by Law & Crime. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office alleged in a press release that Hoskns struck one of their deputies before being taken into custody last Thursday It was dangerously hot in Kentucky (pictured) last week, with temperatures hitting the triple digits When Hoskins allegedly locked the senior inside the car, a massive heat dome was enveloping the US, bringing temperatures above 100 to vast parts of the country. Kentucky was among the states affected, with extremely dangerous heat, according to WHAS11. Hoskins was previously arrested in September 2022 for allegedly assaulting a man and a woman after crawling out of a ditch, according to WYMT. Hoskins then allegedly went to a home on began fighting with a man there. Police officers found her lying on the ground bleeding from her face at the time, per the outlet. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office for further comment. It was not immediately clear if Hoskins had retained an attorney.