Her Kids Were Bleeding and Unconscious — and Mom Allegedly Got Out of Car and Walked Away Before DWI Arrest: Police

• Missouri State Police responded to a multi-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 270 near Missouri 367 in St. Louis County on Monday, May 12
• Driver Courtney R. Brown, 27, allegedly fled the scene after allegedly causing the crash
• Police allege she left her young children, who were both unbuckled in the passenger seat, bleeding in her vehicle

A Missouri mother faces criminal charges after allegedly causing a multi-vehicle crash while intoxicated, fleeing the scene and leaving her two unbuckled and unresponsive children behind. 

Courtney R. Brown was arrested at 7 a.m. on Monday and charged with two counts of DWI with serious injury, three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, one count of operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license and two counts of child welfare endangerment, according to an arrest report obtained by PEOPLE. 

Her children, ages 3 and 8, remain intubated at St. Louis Hospital, according to KSDK and Fox 2. 

Brown allegedly stopped short in the middle of eastbound Interstate 270 near Missouri 367. Police said a motorist behind her sideswiped Brown’s vehicle in their attempt to swerve out of the way, according to reporting by KSDK and Fox 2, citing police.

The driver who struck Brown’s car stopped and walked to the woman’s vehicle, where the woman’s two children allegedly both sat unsecured in the passenger seat, police said, the outlets reported.

A second vehicle then struck Brown’s vehicle, police said, sending it careening across the highway and into a third oncoming car. 

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Brown allegedly walked away from the scene despite orders to return from an officer already at the scene, police said, according to the outlets.

First responders reportedly found the two children unconscious and suffering from serious injuries, lying across the center console. 

When she was detained about a mile from the scene of the accident, a Missouri State Trooper reportedly observed that she had a “relaxed demeanor, slow deliberate movements, watery and bloodshot eyes and confused speech.” 

Brown was taken to a nearby hospital, police said, where cannabis and amphetamines were allegedly found in her system. She posted $100,000 bond since her Monday arrest, according to St. Louis County Jail records. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 2.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.