By admin 
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — A Mesa mother is in custody after her 2-year-old son was found home alone in a hot garage with dangerous drugs in his system, according to court documents.
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The suspected child abuse happened during a First Alert Weather Day because of extreme heat at the end of July.
Police say on July 29, a neighbor called 911 and reported that Amy Shellhammer, 32, left her 2-year-old alone in the garage at her home near Lindsay and Broadway roads. Court documents state that Shellhammer texted her neighbor, “I’m leaving [child] is in the garage. I’m sicker than [expletive]….he’s asleep.”
The neighbor told police that she was very worried since the garage had no air conditioning and was extremely hot, according to authorities. The high temperature in Mesa that day was 109.
“He was left in a garage in this heat in Phoenix, Arizona by himself without air conditioning,” the judge said in court during her initial appearance. Shellhammer appeared to disagree with the facts read by the judge by shaking her head.
When the neighbor went over to the home, she found the toddler asleep, but had trouble waking him up. She said it took her 20 to 30 minutes to wake up the boy after getting him out of the hot garage, according to court documents.
On Aug. 1, the Arizona Department of Child Safety took custody of the toddler. During a medical visit, officials discovered the boy had fentanyl, methamphetamine and THC in his system, court documents state.
In an interview with DCS officials, Shellhammer reportedly admitted that she smokes fentanyl, meth and marijuana over 10 times a day inside her home with her child nearby. Shellhammer said her son is “obviously exposed” when she smokes, court documents detail.
Prior protection order
Detectives also discovered an active protection order from Colorado involving the mother and son from last summer.
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That court order means she’s not allowed to be within 100 yards of him, after a prior situation also “likely to produce death or serious physical injury” to her toddler.
“And the fact that you are violating court orders not to be with that child is of grave, grave concern with the court,” the judge said.
Why the arrest took weeks
Police said Shellhammer was initially booked on August 1 and then released, after prosecutors turned down the child abuse charge.
Further investigation was done to collect additional evidence to warrant a new child abuse charge, and that’s why she was arrested again on August 17.
Shellhammer was booked on one count of child abuse and one count of failing to comply with a court order. She is being held on a $35,000 bond.
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