Police: Woman found drunk in Hampton Bays faces child endangerment charges

A Hampton Bays woman found "disheveled, soaking wet and highly intoxicated" with empty vodka and beer bottles in the driveway of a home she believed to be hers had left her young daughter at home alone, police said.

Sarah M. Murphy, 27, had left her daughter asleep in her crib, Southampton Town police said.

Police arrested Murphy and charged her with endangering the welfare of a child following the incident Tuesday night. They also notified Child Protective Services. The baby was placed into the care of family friends, police said.

The incident was reported at 9:21 p.m. when the resident of the home on Springville Road called police to report a suspicious person in the driveway.

Officers arrived to find Murphy. Police said she believed the residence was hers.

They said that after being convinced it wasn't her home, Murphy still was "unable to tell police where she had been, where she had come from or how long she had been there."

Further investigation revealed Murphy lived with her mother, but when police took Murphy to that address, they said they found the baby - and learned Murphy's mother was on vacation.

Murphy was arrested and held overnight in lieu of $2,500 bail, police said. Arraignment details were not available.