Facebook users defend mom who accidentally left baby in shopping cart

Facebook users have come to the defense of an Arizona mom who accidentally left her child in a shopping cart.

Cherish Peterson said that she made a "horrible mistake" after accidentally leaving her 2-month-old child in front of a grocery store on August 24.

"I got into my car, and normally I put my cart away," the 27-year-old told KPHO. "But I didn't need to because I parked at the front of the store and I never park there. And I drove away."

The baby was spotted almost immediately by an off duty police officer who took the child into a nearby hair salon. The baby reportedly suffered no injuries.

Peterson received criticism online following the incident, with many calling her a drug addict and a terrible mother, according to KPHO. But Phoenix police said that the mom returned within 40 minutes to search for the child after realizing her mistake.

"As I was pulling into the garage, my 3-year-old goes, where's baby Huxton?'" Peterson told KPHO. "His car seat is right behind me. I turned around and realized it was gone."

"It was still a long time ... it was still 40 minutes. It was not two hours. And I never took my other kids out of the car, so it wasn't like I knew I left him. I thought the whole time he was in my car."

Many social media users came out to the mom's defense. A Facebook group titled "I Stand With Cherish" received over 17,000 subscribers, many expressing their support for the mom.

Police initially indicated that no charges would be filed against Peterson, but have now forwarded a child endangerment misdemeanor charge to the town prosecutor. Peterson's husband defended his wife.

"I married the best, in terms of the mother and wife Cherish is to me and our children," Nathan Peterson told KPHO. "A mistake was made, and we learned, but we're not perfect. We're not perfect. But we love our family and we love our children and we are grateful that everything is OK."