Mom arrested after baby in stroller found in busy street

A 31-year-old mom from Wauwatosa was arrested on allegations of child neglect after she left her daughter in a stroller in one of the city's busiest streets last week.

According to the Wauwatosa police report:

A driver had to slam on the brakes at 99th Street and North Avenue when she saw a stroller with a baby in it in the middle of North Avenue at 1:16 p.m. July 12. She saw a woman on the sidewalk as she called 911.

When police arrived, the mother was pushing the stroller down the sidewalk, walking with a male friend. She said she had left the stroller next to the curb while she looked for her cell phone in the grass.

Officers noticed she was staggering and recalled a contact with her about a month earlier during which she also seemed impaired. At the time, the baby's grandmother said the mother and her son used drugs.

The mother was wanted on three warrants for theft and driving violations. Police reported the incident to Child Protective Services.