OKC Woman Accused Of Leaving Baby In Car As She Drank At Bar

An Oklahoma City woman was arrested after police said she left an 8-month-old baby inside her car to go drink at a bar early Saturday morning.

According to police, at about 12:20 a.m., officers responded to the report of an abused/abandoned child at Louie's Bar and Grill, located at NW Expressway and Rockwell.

A manager at the restaurant told police that the suspect, 33-year-old Catherine Durham, was at the bar for about 30 minutes and had two shots. Durham reportedly also told other patrons that she had been at the Baker Street bar before she came to Louie's.

The manager said Durham became very intoxicated as she was falling over and slurring her words. She said Durham tried to leave, so she walked out to Durham's car to make sure Durham doesn't drive. That's when the manager said she saw the 8-month-old baby girl sitting in a car seat in the backseat of the car.

The manager said she tried to take Durham's car keys away from her. But Durham became aggressive and grabbed her hair. So she called 911.

Officers said they saw Durham walking behind the restaurant with the baby in her arms, as if she was trying to hide. She even tripped and fell, but the baby was not injured.

Due to Durham's extreme intoxication and the fact that the baby was left alone in the car for at least 30 minutes, officers determined that the baby needed to be placed into protective custody.

The baby was released to Durham's neighbor, who also works for DHS, according to the police report.

Durham was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on a complaint of child endangerment.