Mom in Abandoned Baby Case Awaiting Trial for Armed Robberies

A Baltimore woman accused of abandoning her nearly 3-month-old daughter along the side of a road in Anne Arundel County was awaiting trial on charges of robbing two Brooklyn Park businesses at the time of her arrest on child neglect charges.

Sandra Clara McClary, 26, of 423 Morrison Court in Baltimore, was charged Sunday afternoon with child neglect and reckless endangerment. Authorities say she left her baby along a Pasadena road. A neighbor spotted the girl in a car seat, went to check, found the infant and called police.

»SEE ALSO: Mother Charged After Claiming Infant Found Abandoned (Updated)

“We’re most fortunate that the child was not harmed and appears to be in good condition,” Lt. T.J. Smith of the Anne Arundel County Police Department said at a Sunday press conference. “We could have experienced a tragedy here this morning.”

He noted that Maryland has a safe haven law and parents who can’t care for their children can take them to a fire station, church or hospital.

According to court records, McClary has had several encounters with police over the years, and was awaiting trial on 26 charges at the time of her arrest over the weekend.

McClary and a Baltimore man were charged in September 2014 with several counts of robbery for repeatedly targeting a liquor store and convenience store in Brooklyn Park, Patch earlier reported.

Phillip Thomas McGowans and McClary were charged with armed robbery, assault and related crimes for allegedly robbing The Village Liquor at 720 Church St. and Spencer’s One Stop Convenience Store at 4300 Richie Hwy.

Authorities believe that McGowans and McClary robbed The Village Liquor Store July 25, 2014, and Aug. 11, 2014. Detectives suspect they may have committed other area robberies, including other holdups at Village Liquor.

Maryland online court records show that a change in public defenders and other court motions have repeatedly delayed McClary’s trial on the robbery and assault charges. Initially, she was scheduled to go to trial in November 2014, but that was postponed to March 2015, then delayed to April and July.

Records show that her robbery trial is now set for Sept. 29 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

McClary faces 26 charges from the robbery allegations, ranging from armed robbery and assault to use of a weapon during a violent crime.

In 2007 McClary was charged with violating a protective order. Her next criminal charge came in 2010, when she was charged with assault, court records show.

»Suspect Sanda McClary, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police