Police: NY mom left toddler alone in car parked outside home while she smoked marijuana

Police: Mom leaves toddler alone, smokes marijuana

SHIRLEY, N.Y. — Police on Long Island said a mother left her 1-year-old child alone in a car for more than 40 minutes while she was inside her home smoking marijuana. Police said they got a call at around noon Monday of a toddler that had been left alone in a car parked in front of a home in Shirley.

When they arrived, they found the boy in the backseat and the child’s mother, 43-year-old Karen Edelmann, inside her home smoking pot.

Police said Edelmann was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, marijuana possession and resisting arrest. She was being held overnight and is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday. Police did not know if she had a lawyer.

The child was released into the custody of his father and Child Protective Services was notified.