Luckily no one was injured in a potentially tragic accident in Phoenix. A mother, Catalina Clouser, 19, was accused of child abuse and aggravated DUI on Saturday. Clouser reportedly left her 2 month old infant on the roof of her car and drove over 10 miles home before realizing her mistake. Concerned citizens phoned authorities after noting an infant seat in the middle of a busy intersection. By the time police arrived Clouser has noticed her error and retraced her drive. Police officers immediately arrested her after they discovered she was impaired based on an examination by a drug evaluation examiner. She admitted to being under the influence of marijuana.
This was the Clouser’s second run-in with the law that night. Earlier in the evening the infant’s father and Clouser’s boyfriend, Manuel Pena, 19, was pulled over for erratic driving and nearly causing an accident. Police records show, Clouser said that she and Pena had been smoking marijuana near 51st Avenue and Peoria prior to being pulled over. Pena didn’t have a driver’s license and also admitted to smoking marijuana prior to driving. After Pena’s arrest, officers returned Clouser and the infant to her home.
Clouser was released later Saturday and was ordered to be electronic monitored and to be drug and alcohol tested in addition to several other restrictions as conditions of her release.
