An Ahwatukee mother, who was recently arrested on suspicion of child abuse, told Phoenix police she gave her 2-year-old beer as a means of “reverse psychology,” according to court documents.

Police officers were called to Peter Piper Pizza near Ray Road and 48th Street in Ahwatukee at about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Officers were told that Valerie Marie Topete, 36, had poured what was believed to be beer from a pitcher into her 2-year-old’s sippy cup, said James Holmes, a Phoenix Police Department spokesman.

Topete told police she put a splash of beer into her son’s sippy cup, which already had apple juice inside, as reverse psychology to stop him from grabbing the pitcher of beer, according to Maricopa County Superior Court documents.

Topete said she saw her son put the cup to his lips and believed he may have consumed some of the alcohol, according to the documents.

A witness saw Topete leave the child alone with the cup and later saw the child fall from his seat, leading her to believe he may be intoxicated, according to documents.

Officers said the cup had about four ounces of foamy liquid inside that had the odor of alcohol.

The boy was taken to a hospital for precautionary measures for both the drink and his fall, Holmes said.

The 2-year-old was released to his father. The boy’s father and the boy’s two siblings, ages 4 and 8, were all at the Peter Piper Pizza, Holmes said.

Topete was booked on suspicion of one count of child abuse, police said.

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