Drunk grandmother leaves infant in ditch, Minnesota cops say. Then, passerby steps in
In the midst of the wind and rain was a shoeless grandmother walking near a road holding an infant, Minnesota authorities said. The two were spotted by a person driving by, who slowed down to ask if they were OK.
The 52-year-old woman said she was fine and continued on with the baby, who was wearing only a sweatshirt and sweatpants in the 50-degree weather Oct. 29 in Otter Tail County, according to court documents.
The woman’s attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Nov. 1.
The man in the vehicle pulled over to observe the woman holding the child. He watched her descend into a ditch, then reemerge without the child in her arms, according to a probable cause statement.
The grandmother ran off, the man told the sheriff’s office. He went to the ditch to find the baby abandoned and called authorities, according to court documents.
Deputies found the woman stumbling through a wooded area. They reported her eyes were watery and bloodshot, her speech was slurred and she smelled of alcohol.
The grandmother said she was looking for a child, but couldn’t tell officers any specific details about her search, authorities said.
The woman’s husband arrived at the scene, telling authorities they lived nearby and he didn’t know why she had left with their grandchild, according to court documents.
He added that they were taking care of their two grandkids, and the 52-year-old woman had been drinking earlier in the day, officials said.
Deputies tried to breathalyze the woman at the scene, but they weren’t able to get a proper reading, according to the probable cause statement. At the jail, she blew a .229.
The grandmother also told jail staff she had been drinking White Claw hard seltzers, according to the statement.
She was arrested and charged with child endangerment, a gross misdemeanor. As of Nov. 1, she is not in custody, according to jail records.
She is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 17.
Otter Tail County is about a 200-mile drive northwest from Minneapolis.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Drunk grandmother leaves infant in ditch, Minnesota cops say. Then, passerby steps in."
