Police: Woman arrested after abandoning baby at Bensalem motel

A 34-year-old woman accused of abandoning her 7-month-old baby in a drug-littered Bensalem motel was located and arrested Monday at a Philadelphia hospital, police said.

Erica Avila-Lopez, who was supposed to be under house arrest in Philadelphia for an incident last year in which she allegedly tried to run over a police officer, left her baby alone in a room at the Knights Inn, at 2707 Lincoln Highway, around 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Bensalem police. There were narcotics and drug paraphernalia in plain view inside the room, police said.

The baby was found shortly before 12:30 p.m. Sunday by motel cleaning staff. The baby was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and was found to be uninjured.

Bucks County Children and Youth social workers responded to the case and turned the baby over to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

Avila-Lopez was facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person, and for narcotics offenses.

Police did not say why she was at a Philadelphia hospital, which they did not name, when she was located.

Avila-Lopez was sentenced in April to 23 months of house arrest for an incident last September when she nearly ran over a Philadelphia police officer in Kensington.

She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Officers on patrol witnessed a 2004 Jeep Laredo driving the wrong way in the 600 block of Clearfield Street. Believing the Jeep was about to hit the police vehicle, one of the officers exited onto the sidewalk and fired a shot, striking the windshield and Avila-Lopez's hand.

She drove away but later crashed into a police van in the 2900 block of Richmond Street, where she was arrested.