San Francisco mom pleads not guilty to abandoning daughter on roadside

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) -- A San Francisco woman accused of pushing her 5-year-old daughter out of her car before driving away from the scene earlier this week pleaded not guilty Friday to child endangerment charges.

Samantha Patton, 22, appeared before a judge at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice where her attorney asked that she be released on her own recognizance. Citing public safety concerns, the judge denied the request and set bail at $100,000.

Cameras were not allowed inside the court when the woman entered her plea to two counts of child endangerment charges.

Prosecutors said witnesses saw Patton while she was driving on Great Highway on Monday, throwing items of out of her car and screaming at her daughter to get out. Witnesses said the woman told her daughter she didn’t want to be her mom anymore.

Authorities said Patton pushed the girl out of the parked car and drove away recklessly with her 1-year-old son in the back seat of the vehicle.

"This child was all by herself by the zoo,” said Alex Bastian, spokesman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. "The facts speak for themselves."

Patton shook her head at the accusations and told her lawyer they were not true. Patton’s attorney declined to speak on camera and her fiance declined to comment.

Patton's Facebook page is filled with photos of her children.

Her attorney argued that Patton has never been convicted of a violent crime; that she is currently seeking employment; and is not considered a flight risk even though she has relatives out of state.

The girl and young boy are currently in the custody of child protective services but prosecutors are attempting to place them with other relatives.

"We are looking for any relatives that can best care for these children," Bastian said.

By KTVU reporter Cristina Rendon.