A woman in North Charleston, South Carolina, is sitting behind bars after she was allegedly caught unconscious in her car alongside her two children. Police said they also found empty alcohol bottles inside the vehicle.
WYFF reported, citing the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD), that the incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. on Monday, May 18, on University Boulevard.
Witnesses told responding seen a partially unclothed child walking around the parking lot. Another child was asleep in the backseat of the aforementioned car.
When officers approached the car, however, they quickly learned that the children’s mother was unconscious, police said.
Officers Find Troubling Scene
The woman, identified as Brandee Busser, had passed out and was unresponsive, with emergency services already treating her, WCIV reported. Furthermore, officers allegedly found empty bottles of alcohol in the vehicle’s center console, cigarettes, and another bottle of alcohol near where the children were sitting.
Furthermore, the car was off, and with temperatures reaching 89 degrees inside, no food or water was found, police said. Given their age, authorities determined that both children were too young to care for themselves.
Their mother was then transported to the hospital.
Mother Charged, Children Safe
As a result of the incident, Busser was charged with two counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. If convicted of both counts, she could face up to 20 years in prison or be ordered to pay a fine left to the discretion of a court, or both. Busser was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
Responding police officers contacted family members to care for both children. Eventually, they reached Busser’s parents, both of whom arrived at the hospital where their daughter was transported to. Both children are in their care.
Another Unconscious Parent Behind the Wheel
Days before the incident described above, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a gas station in Plant City after receiving reports of a “person-down.”
Upon arrival, deputies found 26-year-old Patrick Voegtly unconscious in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, which was parked right beside a gas pump, the HCSO said. Bodycam footage released by the HCSO showed a deputy approaching Voegtly and removing a loaded gun, which was in plain view inside the vehicle.
Allegedly, the Florida father had another gun in his pocket, which was later found after the deputies woke Voegtly up and arrested him. A breathalyzer test confirmed that his blood alcohol content doubled the state’s legal limit, HCSO alleged.
A five-year-old child was spotted in the backseat of the vehicle. The young boy cried during his father’s arrest, and at one point, as per the HCSO, said, “He’s just sleeping.”