Texas Mother Accused of Leaving Baby in Running Car, Taking Shots in Club: Officials

A stock photo of a shot of alcohol (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

A Texas mother was allegedly taking shots in a nightclub while her infant was left inside a car without supervision, officials said.

Samantha Vaughan, 26, was found inside TrackSide, a club in Copperas Cove, at around 2 a.m., reported KWTX.

Police alleged that she left her baby in a running car outside the nightclub while she went inside and began drinking.

An officer found the 1-year-old sleeping in a safety seat in the back of the car parked at the nightclub, Fox44 reported.

The doors were not locked, and the engine was running, the officer said.

Vaughan emitted a “strong odor commonly associated with the consumption of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her person” when officers found her, a police report said, according to the KWTX.

The woman said she was picking up her husband at the club and then “sat with him while she consumed the two shots,” police said.

Officers then attempted to take her into custody, and she allegedly resisted arrest. She dropped herself to the ground and “continued to thrash her body around … yell and throw herself about,” police said.

She also allegedly shouted about her child and uttered racial slurs.

Court papers stated that Vaughn also allegedly threatened the officer and his family, saying she hoped they would die, Fox44 reported.

Officials said Vaughan “smashed her forehead” in the police vehicle and caused a cut to her head.

A photo shows the location of TrackSide in Copperas Cove, Texas. (Google Street View)

A breathalyzer test revealed that her blood alcohol level was 0.148, which is nearly double the legal limit of 0.08.

She was charged with abandoning or endangering a child with the intent to return, resisting arrest, and making terroristic threats to a public servant.

Other details about her case were not revealed.

Dangerous Situation

Heatkills.org, citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that when outdoor temperatures range between 80 and 100 degrees, the interior of the car can get to 130 to 172 degrees.

“Children have died in cars with the temperature as low as 63 degrees. Basically, the car becomes a greenhouse. At 70 degrees on a sunny day, after a half hour, the temperature inside a car is 104 degrees. After an hour, it can reach 113 degrees,” stated Jan Null, adjunct professor at San Francisco State University, according to the website.

A stock photo shows an ambulance (Pixabay)

The NoHeatStroke.org website says 803 children have died in the United States due to heatstroke in hot cars since 1998. All of these deaths were preventable, the website said.

“The atmosphere and the windows of a car are relatively ‘transparent’ to the sun’s shortwave radiation and are warmed little. However, this shortwave energy does heat objects that it strikes. For example, a dark dashboard, steering wheel, or seat temperatures often are in the range of 180 to over 200 degrees F,” it stated.

Annually, about 38 children under the age of 15 die from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle, according to Injury Facts.