Police: Drunk mom fakes car theft, baby abduction story in Oregon
OREGON CITY, Ore. -- A mother was arrested in Oregon for pretending her baby and car were stolen from a convenience store parking lot.
Police say the whole situation was very bizarre, and the store clerk says she watched the entire scene unfold.
Clerk Kasey Stone says a woman entered the store, buying a box of wine before leaving. Moments later, the woman came running back inside, yelling that her baby and her car were gone.
"She was very frantic and got on the phone with whoever she was talking to and I gave her our address here so she could call the cops," said Stone.
Terra Brandenburg, 31, did call the cops and reported that someone stole her BMW SUV with her four-week-old baby and dog inside.
Turns out it was just right across the street from the gas station the entire time.
Police say Brandenburg actually struck a bridge, disabling her car before driving into an apartment complex. She allegedly put the BMW into park, walked across the road, and went into the gas station.
Stone says while talking to police, she returned inside the store to use the bathroom and ended up drinking the chardonnay she had purchased, still convinced her baby was missing.
Fortunately, the baby and her dog were both found safe and uninjured inside the SUV. They both were released in the care of the baby's father.
Sgt. Dave Kempas with West Linn Police says he believes after she smashed her SUV, she decided to make up a story.
"I think she just hit the bridge and panicked," Kempas says. "She was very drunk and people who are impaired make poor decisions. She made a number of them this evening."
Brandenburg is facing a host of charges including reckless endangering and DUI.
