Mom arrested for child endangerment after picking up child while drunk, police say - East Idaho News
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Mom arrested for child endangerment after picking up child while drunk, police say

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POCATELLO — A local woman is accused of not only driving to a Pocatello early childhood center while intoxicated to pick up one of her children, but police say she left her other young child home alone.

Police arrested Amanda Gould-Honena, 35, of Pocatello, on Thursday afternoon and charged her with drunk driving and child endangerment, both misdemeanors.

Police were initially notified about Gould-Honena by staff members at the Lincoln Early Childhood Center on Oakwood Drive. Police said staff members reported that a highly intoxicated Gould-Honena had arrived at the Lincoln center to pick up her 5-year-old child around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

In addition to allegedly being drunk, Gould-Honena told Lincoln center staff members that her other child, a 3-year-old, was missing.

Lincoln center staff members took Gould-Honena’s car keys away from her so she couldn’t drive away, police said.

Responding officers placed Gould-Honena under arrest and began searching for her missing 3-year-old. Officers found the child alone but in good condition at Gould-Honena’s home on North Harrison Avenue around 2 p.m. Thursday.

Police said they will use the Lincoln center’s security camera footage showing Gould-Honena arriving at the facility to prove she was driving drunk.

Gould-Honena was booked into Bannock County Jail following her arrest. Her children are now in the custody of other family members.

If convicted of the charges against her, Gould-Honena faces a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.

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