(Ankeny, Iowa/WHO-TV)— An Ankeny mom is facing child endangerment charges after she allegedly left her infant child in her car, unsupervised, while she got a fake tan on two separate occasions. WHO-TV says according to court documents, on Dec. 4th (2023), 28-year-old Shelby Butterbaugh visited a tanning salon in Ankeny with her infant son. The staff at the salon refused to allow Butterbaugh near the tanning beds with her son because he couldn’t wear proper eyewear. Butterbaugh then left the salon and told staff she was going to leave her son in the car, a criminal complaint states. Staff observed her park her car closer to the salon, and then re-enter the building without her son. Staff told police Butterbaugh was inside for about 25 minutes and during that time a witness informed them that a baby was alone in a car in the parking lot, the complaint states.

On Dec. 12 another witness was walking through the parking lot of the tanning salon when they saw “a small child flailing, sitting in a rear-facing car seat in a vehicle,” and noticed the baby was alone, court documents state. The vehicle was later determined to be Butterbaugh’s. Staff told police that Butterbaugh had been inside the salon on the 12th getting a spray tan for about ten minutes while the infant was in the car unsupervised, a complaint states. When speaking with officers, Butterbaugh said she couldn’t remember going to the tanning salon on Dec. 4 because of a traumatic brain injury, an affidavit states. She also confessed to officers that she had left her child in the car while getting a spray tan on Dec. 12, but her child was left alone for only about three minutes, the affidavit states.

Butterbaugh has been charged with two counts of child endangerment. She was booked into Polk County Jail on Tuesday, but has since been released on pre-trial release. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3.