A bizarre chain of events resulted in the arrest of a 31-year-old mother in Oregon after cops say she falsely reported her car stolen with her 4-week-old son and dog inside.
Via Oregon Live:
Terra Nicole Brandenburg, 31, apparently misplaced her SUV after she bought wine at a gas station, said Sgt. Dave Kempas, a West Linn Police Department spokesman. The baby was found unharmed inside the car, as was a 3-year old Doberman Pinscher, he said.
Police say that Brandenburg, who who lives in West Linn and Oregon City, had purchased gas at a Fred Meyer in Oregon City and was driving to West Linn when her 2006 BMW sport utility vehicle hit the Oregon City-West Linn Arch Bridge.
She pulled the damaged vehicle into an apartment complex across the street from a 76 gas station in West Linn, apparently to use the restroom, Kempas said. She bought a box of wine and left.
Brandenburg then went back inside and told a clerk her car had been stolen with her baby inside. She started making calls to family, which the clerk thought was strange, Kempas said.
The clerk told Brandenburg to call police, which she did.
Officers arrived and were quickly able to discover the SUV was not stolen – with one clue being Brandenburg drinking from her bottle of wine after they arrived.
“She ended up drinking while the cops were here outside,” clerk Kasey Stone told KATU. “Then the cops came and she came inside to use the bathroom and then later on the officer found the empty bottle inside our trash can in the bathroom.”
The Amber Alert that was sent out by police dispatch was cancelled after just 8 minutes. Cops say that Brandenburg then ran from a police lieutenant, but the officer was easily able to catch her.
Her blood-alcohol level was 0.25 percent – more than three times the legal limit.
The baby was picked up by her father and Brandenburg was was arrested on driving under the influence of intoxicants, first- and second-degree criminal mistreatment, reckless endangering, second-degree child neglect, initiating a false report, reckless driving, and disorderly conduct.
