Mother Jailed for Leaving Kids in Car During Interview Says She Was Desperate

An Arizona mother jailed for leaving her kids in the car during a job interview recently spoke out about what prompted her to make that decision.

Appearing on the “Today” show, Shanesha Taylor said she had to make a tough choice.

“I had to make a choice between providing for my children and caring for my children,” she said.

She told host Matt Lauer that she decided that what was most important to her was providing food and shelter for her children.

In May Shanesha Taylor, 35, left her 2 year old and 6 month old in her Dodge Durango for 45 minutes while she went on a job interview at a Farmer’s Insurance Office in Scottsdale, Arizona. When someone spotted the kids, police were called and Taylor was arrested.

Taylor, who says she was homeless at one point, rolled the windows down before going inside to the job interview.

Once police arrived, Taylor attempted to explain her situation but was was arrested and charged with two counts of child abυse. Now Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is giving Taylor is dropping the charges if Taylor attends parenting classes.

Taylor’s arrest sparked national attention as she became a symbol of poor working class people who can’t afford childcare but are doing their best to care for their children.

According to Arizona Central,  “Taylor had received support donations of nearly $115,000, which, as part of her agreement with the county attorney, is placed in a trust fund to pay for her children’s educations, according to her attorney Benjamin Taylor, who appeared with her on the show.”

Even though Taylor’s children were taken away from her, a court commissioner granted her visits with both children in May under the supervision of a Child Protective Services specialist

.