A woman who was smoking marijuana was taken into custody on Saturday in Phoenix for driving her vehicle with her five-week-old son strapped to a car seat that was sitting on the roof of the vehicle, according to police. Phoenix police spokesman, James Holmes, said that the baby fell off the vehicle when it went through an intersection. The baby was found without injuries and still strapped into the car seat.
The mother of the baby is 19 and is Catalina Clouser. She was charged with child abuse and aggravated assault. The baby was transported to a local hospital for treatment and to be examined and is now in the custody of Child Protective Services in Arizona.
“It appears the suspect put the baby on the roof of the car and drove off, forgetting he was still on the roof,” Holmes said in a written statement.
Clouser and her boyfriend were smoking marijuana in a park, according to police, and then left to purchase beer along with the baby on Friday night. The vehicle was pulled over by police, leading to the boyfriend being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence. The vehicle is a 2000 Ford Focus. Holmes then said that Clouser was so upset about her boyfriend’s arrest that she went to the home of a friend and “admittedly smoked one or two additional bowls of marijuana.”
Clouser left her friend’s home around midnight, with the baby sleeping in the car seat on top of the car. Clouser said she did not notice the baby was missing until she returned to her home. When Clouser arrived at the scene she “made admissions to what had occurred.”