Woman who left baby in hot car explains actions

TIGARD, Ore. - A mother arrested for leaving her 13-month-old daughter in a sweltering hot vehicle while she went into a Lowe's store spoke to KATU News on Thursday, trying to explain her actions.

The incident happened Monday afternoon at the Lowe's store in Tigard when police got a call from a store employee who noticed a baby had been left alone in a vehicle.

When police arrived, they found the child suffering from heat exposure and called for medical help. The child's body temperature was over 105 degrees even 15 to 20 minutes after being removed from the vehicle.

The mother, Hong Thi Huynh, was arrested when she came out of the store.

Although she did not want to show her face on camera, Huynh spoke to KATU News and told us why she left her baby inside her vehicle in the hot sun.

She said when she got to the store, her child was asleep.

"I didn't want to wake her up because she's a little baby and she needs sleep as much as she can," she said. "I don't think I did anything wrong because I didn't want to wake her up. I wanted her to sleep as much as she can."

Huynh also disputes police reporting that she fought and kicked an officer as they tried to arrest her.

"How could a woman like me, who was held on the shoulder, on the hands by three policemen, grab some officer's shirt and kick him? It just doesn't make sense," she said.

Huynh did say she would never leave her baby alone in a vehicle again.

"No, I will never leave her again like that," she said. "This is the lesson I learned."

Huynh has three children. Because of the child neglect charges she is facing, she cannot have contact with any of them, at least for now.