Deputies: Mother left baby in car while she had a beer

HUDSON – A mother left her 3-month-old baby in a car for half an hour Saturday morning while she drank beer on a back porch, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Nora Paulene Leach-Peterson's baby was covered with a white blanket in a car seat about 11 a.m. when a deputy found him, an arrest report states. The driver's side window was cracked a few inches. The baby, who was not named, was covered in sweat, the report said.

Leach-Peterson, 32, told a deputy, "I only left (him) in the car for approximately half an hour, he was sleeping and I drank one beer." Near her beer bottle, a deputy found a bag of green leaves and a silver pipe that tested positive for marijuana, the report said.

Leach-Peterson, of Carpentersville, Ill., was charged with child neglect and possession of marijuana and drug equipment. She was released Saturday on $10,300 bail.

Drew Harwell can be reached at dharwell@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6244.