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Mom In Child Abuse Case Says Memory Lapse Happened Before

THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) - A Thornton mother charged with child abuse for leaving her two kids alone in a car has pleaded not guilty.

Sarah Hatfield, 25, says a medical condition caused her to leave her children in her parked car at a Thornton gas station on Jan. 28. Ten hours later she was found wandering near National Jewish hospital -- 13 miles away -- and was arrested.

Hatfield is charged with child abuse and is not allowed to be alone with her 2- and 4-year-old sons. She told CBS4 she doesn't remember anything about the incident and says she would never willingly abandon her kids.

"I would never do anything to my kids. I'm a loving stay-at-home mom," she said. "I would never do anything to hurt them."

Hatfield says she didn't think that she had ever had a similar episode. Then last month a pawn shop called her saying she had left some treasured gifts there.

On Jan. 10 she had brought the items to the Thornton store, but she had no memory of doing that. The pawn shop wouldn't show Hatfield proof she had been there, so she called police, who showed her the surveillance video of her walking in.

"It was so scary to actually see my face and to know that it was actually me," Hatfield said.

Her doctors initially thought after the Jan. 28 incident that she may have suffered from a type of amnesia caused by severe migraines called transient global amnesia, but those usually only happen once.

Hatfield says she will follow up with both a neurologist and psychiatrist next week.

She is also on migraine medication.

She's due back in court next month.

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