A Norwalk woman was arrested Tuesday night at a West Des Moines motel after law enforcement judged her too drunk to care for her toddler.
Caylee Elizabeth Doree Clark, 21, of 531 Canterbury Pl., Norwalk, was charged with child endangerment.
The incident began about about 5:30 p.m. at a motel in the 7600 block of Office Plaza Drive North, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a request for a welfare check.
The officers made contact with Clark, who presented with “slurred speech” and a “lethargic” comportment, according to court records.
Clark’s 1-year-old child was also present in the motel room, which was strewn with empty liquor bottles, according to court records.
Clark blew a .403 on a preliminary breath test, after which she became “hysterical,” according to court records.
The child was taken into protective custody after the officers deemed Clark’s “intoxication level put her into a mental state in which she was unable to safely care for her toddler child,” according to court records.
Clark is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 27 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.