A Tamaqua woman welcomed in the New Year in the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville after her child was almost hit by a car.

A woman driving north on Hunter Street barely missed striking a 2-year-old boy at 10:47 a.m. on Dec. 31. She stopped and picked up the toddler, looking around for a parent or guardian. She saw a woman and another child walking toward Bowe Street.That woman was identified as Chelsea Walters, 24, of Orwigsburg Street. When asked about the 2-year-old, Walters said he wasn't hers.The child was then taken into Pieracini's Market and police were notified.Walters followed them into the market, then tried to leave with both children, even though she again said the 2-year-old boy wasn't hers.Officers noted that Walters appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and contacted Schuylkill County Children and Youth, who told police to contact the children's biological father, who came and picked them up.Officers found a brass pipe with burned residue in her purse.At the police station, Walters claimed she was having a heart attack, but refused treatment from Tamaqua Ambulance personnel after learning a trip to the hospital would not keep her out of jail.She was arraigned before duty District Magisterial Judge David Rossi on charges of child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $10,000 straight, which she was unable to post.