Kent mom abandons baby before DUI arrest

KENT, Wash. - A Kent mom abandoned her baby on her front porch before being arrested for DUI on Saturday, Kent Police say.

Around 11 p.m., Kent patrols responded to multiple calls about a single-vehicle accident on Russel Road near S. 237th Pl.

According to the Kent Police Department, witnesses said they believed a baby might still be inside the car.

Arriving officers said they noticed the car had knocked down several trees, struck a fence, and the driver had parked on a curb in the wrong direction.

The driver, a 36-year-old Kent woman, began to scream that she had killed her baby, was acting erratic, and tried to hug officers, police said. Officers also say there was no baby in the car, so they began searching the area for the child.

After not locating the baby after 20 minutes, officers went to the mother's apartment, where they found the baby sitting in a car seat on the front porch. KPD noted that it was about 50 degrees and raining outside.

Officers say the father was home but he was sleeping, and the mother did not alert him that she was dropping off the baby.

After the mother was medically cleared, she was booked into jail for DUI and abandonment of a dependent person.

KPD thanked the officers who used quick thinking to locate the baby and make sure she was safe and uninjured.