Courtesy Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Two men recently helped stop an “extremely intoxicated” woman from driving her car with a 1-year-old baby in the front passenger seat, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.
Ty Thompson, 20, and his friend, Koltan Transue, 18, told ABC affiliate KATU in Portland that they saw the woman hop a curb and crash into bushes while trying to leave the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on Saturday night.
“I seen the lady had a beer in her hand,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t going to let her drive off with a kid in the car.”
Transue told KATU that he “blocked” the woman in the parking lot with his vehicle and then called 911. He added that while waiting for authorities to arrive, Thompson ran up to the woman’s vehicle to pull the keys out of the ignition and get the baby in the front passenger seat out of the car.
“Me and Ty took turns holding the baby and just keeping her warm and trying to comfort her,” Transue said. The baby was only wearing a diaper, according to Transue.
When deputies arrived, the woman — who was identified as 29-year-old Laura Rose Ann Wood — had been trying to walk away from the car with the 1-year-old baby, according to Sgt. Brian Jensen, public information officer for Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
Several citizens helped bring Wood back to the car, Jensen told ABC News. Wood appeared “extremely intoxicated,” he said.
Wood was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and recklessly endangering another person, according to Jensen. He said that she has since been released on her own recognizance.
The 1-year-old baby girl was taken by deputies to a safe location and released to a person embedded with the Oregon Department of Human Services, Jensen added.
Andrea Cantu-Schomus, a communications officer for Oregon DHS, told ABC News Tuesday that the department cannot confirm nor deny any ongoing child welfare case, citing state and federal privacy laws.
A spokeswoman for Clackamas County Court told ABC News that the district attorney had not yet filed a criminal case against Wood as of Tuesday morning and that it was unclear if she had obtained an attorney.
Wood did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
The two men who said they prevented her from driving off told KATU they hope Wood gets the help she needs.
“I feel like we did a big thing,” Thompson said. “I feel like we saved some lives.”
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