Clear Lake mom accused of leaving baby alone in vehicle while going into bar

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A local woman has been charged with child endangerment after officials say she left her three-month-old child in a car so she could go drinking.

It was 3:30am Sunday, when Amy Cooney, 31, was allegedly inside a bar on Houston's south side and her three-month-old baby boy was in her black SUV parked outside.

Neighbor Pat Coleman said, "I can't believe Amy left her baby in the car, because grandma... She's got a good mother, and grandmother was good, so it must be an accident."

Coleman lives across the street from Cooney and her family and can't believe the young woman she watched grow up, who features her children on her Facebook page, is charged with child endangerment.

We tried to talk to Cooney's mom about what happened, but she didn't want to comment.

According to court records, Cooney was in line in the bathroom at the bar when she told another patron that her baby was in the car. That's when that customer asked to see the baby, leading Cooney to the car, where the patron grabbed the baby and turned him over to authorities.

Prosecutors told the court, "The defendant left her three-month-old child in the car, went inside the club. It's unknown how long the child was in the car before authorities were alerted."

For now, Cooney remains in jail, having not yet posted bond, while neighbors remain in disbelief.

"I just can't believe it, I really can't," Coleman said. "I'd go to court to say that, I can't believe it."

Cooney faces a felony charge of child endangerment.

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local, miya shay

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