Woman charged after abandoning toddlers in hot car following police vehicle chase

A woman was arrested after fleeing police with two toddlers in a car in western Maryland before crashing in Pennsylvania and abandoning the children in the hot vehicle. She was allegedly driving drunk.

State police found two 3-year-old boys in the vehicle near the Pennsylvania state line and said in a statement : "The vehicle was turned off with the windows closed and the doors shut. The boys were unharmed, fortunately."

Maryland State Police responded on July 9 after the mother — Samantha Cherry, 25, of Confluence, Pennsylvania — left a pawn shop with people expressing concern about her well-being, authorities said.

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Police chased the vehicle she was driving for about 30 miles traveling north, where Pennsylvania state troopers found the car in a two-vehicle crash near Markleysburg, Pennsylvania, around two hours later.

Police found the two toddlers in the car, and Cherry had fled the scene before police arrived, authorities said.

The temperature in western Maryland was 88 degrees at the time, with high humidity, Maryland State Police said.

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Cherry was charged by Pennsylvania police for allegedly driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of children. She also faces traffic charges in Maryland.

Maryland State Police commented that their Aviation Command "prevented what could have been a terrible outcome."

This story was originally published by Bryna Zumer at Scripps News Baltimore .