Mom on Trial - Leaves child in Car for minutes

[ckay87]

Exactly!

People have a lot of weird theories about why leaving a kid in a car is so unsafe with the mom standing near the car. They are all just nonsense!!!

---No one is stealing a locked car in a loading zone with a bunch of people standing around it. (Cars are MUCH harder to steal these days with the coded keys. That's why thieves take cars with the keys in them.)
---No one is stealing a child in a locked car with a bunch of people standing around it. (It takes a while to get into a locked car!)
---A car can get hit no matter where it's at, so saying it's somehow dangerous in a loading zone is nonsensical.
---It would be just as "dangerous" to take the 2 year old out of the car in the SLEETING weather and try to watch her from running into the road while mom is taking pictures of the other kids.

She put her children in far more danger simply by driving to the Walmart in the sleeting weather (statistically speaking.) People loose sight of what is actually dangerous by imagine all sorts of off-the-wall scenerios.

 

[KariC]

Now, THIS is child endangering!

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080314/NEWS01/303140014/

Three cases of child endangering developed Thursday, sending three mothers to jail. All three are scheduled to go before judges today to answer to the charges.

Cincinnati police said Juanita Roberts left her 9-month-old baby alone in her car on Findlay Street in Over-the-Rhine Thursday night while she was three blocks away, out of sight, court records show. She told police she left her baby with a stranger.

Roberts, 24, of the West End, is held at the Hamilton County jail this morning without bond on a child endangering charge until she appears before a judge at 12:30 p.m.



This is the second time in less than two years she faces child endangering charges.

On June 27, 2005, Roberts’ daughter, Braniya Faulkner, 4 months old, was found dead in her home. A female friend who was babysitting was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, court records show.

Roberts pleaded guilty to a child endangering charge and was ordered to serve four years probation. Her arrest last night undoubtedly will impact her probation.

Over in Westwood, Cincinnati police said two girls, 2 and 4, were left alone from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Thursday at their home in the 2700 block of Erlene Drive, court records show.

Ermitania Ambrocio, 39, was charged with two counts of child endangering and booked into the jail just before 5 p.m., according to jail officials. She also will appear in court at 12:30 p.m.

Then, in Norwood, police said they found a 27-year-old mother in the 2500 block of Williams Avenue slumped over the wheel of her car, passed out from a suspected heroin overdose, with her child in the car.

Police also found a needle containing heroin in Patricia Jacob’s vehicle, court records show.

She faces charges of child endangering and possession of drugs and a drug abuse instrument.

She was booked into the Hamilton County jail about 11 p.m. and appears before a judge at 9 a.m.

The child’s father took the child after her arrest, Norwood police said.

 

[mickeyboat]

I am really glad to hear they dropped the case.

Denae

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I can't blame this mother for reacting unfavorably to being arrested for child endangerment. I can tell you that I would definitely react if the same thing happened to me, I would not be submissive and compliant if I was accused of that and they were trying to arrest me in front of my children right after I was showing the kids to drop money in the dang Salvation Army coin drop!!! There is no way in hell. This woman didn't come stumbling out of a bar, she was showing her kids to donate to a charity for petes sake.

It would take a completely numb person not to react with anger to that. Good Lord, that is just absurd!

I don't know how many times I have to say this before people get it. Initially, she was not being arrested for anything. She was being confronted by a police officer about the sleeping child in her car. When she wouldn't cooperate with police, even refusing to tell them her name or the name of her child, then she was arrested. Of course she was! She could have been kidnapping that child for all they knew. It's certainly odd for a mother not to tell police the name of her child.

As far as the police officer being angry, I can tell you that I would be too if I came across a child left all alone, especially knowing that it is against the law. It wasn't the police officer's fault that the woman was uninformed.

The fact that she was taking her children to donate a small amount of money to charity has absolutely nothing to do with this case. She could have been protesting Wal-Mart, picking her nose, doing a jig and it wouldn't change anything.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Had the people involved acted calmly instead of overreacting, none of it would have happened. The first person who confronted the mom set the scene. And I can only wish karma on the person making the initial report...re. the narc.

eta: I love our community police and sheriff dept., not a jerk in the crowd. I can't imagine any of them dealing with this situation in this manner.

 

[KariC]

I don't know how many times I have to say this before people get it. Initially, she was not being arrested for anything. She was being confronted by a police officer about the sleeping child in her car. When she wouldn't cooperate with police, even refusing to tell them her name or the name of her child, then she was arrested. Of course she was! She could have been kidnapping that child for all they knew. It's certainly odd for a mother not to tell police the name of her child.

As far as the police officer being angry, I can tell you that I would be too if I came across a child left all alone, especially knowing that it is against the law. It wasn't the police officer's fault that the woman was uninformed.

The fact that she was taking her children to donate a small amount of money to charity has absolutely nothing to do with this case. She could have been protesting Wal-Mart, picking her nose, doing a jig and it wouldn't change anything.

In OUR country, you have the RIGHT to remain silent. Because the prosecutors have the ABILITY/OBLIGATION to use your words in a court proceeding. Often, it is a good idea to stop talking if you feel that it would be safer to speak when a lawyer is there to protect your legal interests.

What happened to extending grace and mercy, and not judgement? I posted 3 examples above of clear abandonment, neglect, endangerment. Obviously, makes this situation, which has been dropped by the prosecutors, look differently.

 

[piglet too]

Did you read the links I provided? All the stories I have read locally state she was told she was being arrested as soon as she approached her car. She refused to talk because her DH told her to do so. It was a community service officer who yelled at her and told her she was going to be arrested and then a police officer responded.

Honestly, all the first officer needed to do was say, "hey, you really should not have done that. It is a violation of state law and you could be charged because of it. Don't do it again."

I left my sleeping 2 year old in the car while I ran into the school to give the office my DS's lunch. The office is situated as so I never had the car out of sight,and was only a few steps into the building as the office lady met me at the door. When I got back to the car, it had locked itself, and the car was running. The police chief happened to be leaving at the same time and I asked him for help. He did not threaten to arrest me or tell me that I was a bad parent. Instead he got my car open and told me "I don't blame you for leaving a sleeping baby in the car in this weather." for it was sleeting that day too.

 

[NYBlue1]

In OUR country, you have the RIGHT to remain silent. Because the prosecutors have the ABILITY/OBLIGATION to use your words in a court proceeding. Often, it is a good idea to stop talking if you feel that it would be safer to speak when a lawyer is there to protect your legal interests.

What happened to extending grace and mercy, and not judgment? I posted 3 examples above of clear abandonment, neglect, endangerment. Obviously, makes this situation, which has been dropped by the prosecutors, look differently.

You have the right to remain silent, and when a police officer is investigating a possible crime and you know you did nothing wrong but instead of just answering some questions and going on your way you become belligerent and excited and uncooperative you end up arrested.

Anybody think that if the woman just explained herself this would have just ended? No its the big bad police officers fault, period. This angelic mother could not possibly have overreacted and contributed to the situation in the first place, shes a mother after all.

 

[meandtheguys2]

The mother was accosted by the community guy. Yelling. I'm pretty sure that put her on the defensinve...what do you think? ANd the police officer didn't defuse the situation either...don't they get training in that kind of thing?

 

[chobie]

Maybe I did come across rude, but it is so annoying when childless people preach about how they would never do this, never do that, and put down the actions of actual parents. Having children changes everything - being a parent is the hardest job in the world, and a job that is learned "on the job." You could study child psychology, and still have no idea what it is like to raise children. If a non-parent gave their opinion in these matters like "I THINK that if I had children, this is what I would do in this situation," it would be easier to swallow than "well, if I had children, I would never..."

I have learned more, having children, about children, in the last 11 years, than anything else I've ever learned on another subject, in my lifetime. And BTW, before I had children, I was a teacher!

For me, I don't automatically disregard some one's opinion about raising children just because they don't have children. It's when they present their opinion in a manner that it seems like they fancy themselves an expert and their way is the only way. Then I start to

My sister was like that. Now she has a kid and is doing many of the things she criticized me for. But when I point that out to her she says "but it's different because..." Yeah right.

 

[NYBlue1]

The mother was accosted by the community guy. Yelling. I'm pretty sure that put her on the defensinve...what do you think? ANd the police officer didn't defuse the situation either...don't they get training in that kind of thing?

Where is this information , the blow by blow excange between the mother and the community guy and the police officer you all are reading?

 

[KariC]

You have the right to remain silent, and when a police officer is investigating a possible crime and you know you did nothing wrong but instead of just answering some questions and going on your way you become belligerent and excited and uncooperative you end up arrested.

Anybody think that if the woman just explained herself this would have just ended? No its the big bad police officers fault, period. This angelic mother could not possibly have overreacted and contributed to the situation in the first place, shes a mother after all.

I have seen no reference to this "belligerent and excited and uncooperative" that you speak of, got a link with that mentioned?

I have seen that this was a woman at Walmart with 3 children, and no other adult was with her. I bet she was spending her time being more terrified and anxious. But...I am being clear that I think that's how she would feel, and not how she was actually feeling (or behaving).

 

[piglet too]

I linked this earlier, but here is the exact quote from the article. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-momontrial,0,833520.story

"She was on a tirade, she was yelling at me," Coyne said. The officer, Coyne said, didn't want to hear about how close Coyne was, how she never set foot inside the store and was just there to let the kids donate money, or how she could always see her car.

 

[NYBlue1]

I have seen no reference to this "belligerent and excited and uncooperative" that you speak of, got a link with that mentioned?

I have seen that this was a woman at Walmart with 3 children, and no other adult was with her. I bet she was spending her time being more terrified and anxious. But...I am being clear that I think that's how she would feel, and not how she was actually feeling (or behaving).

Terrified and anxious doesn't get one arrested for what she was arrested for. Again to state my position, I dont think this woman should have been arrested, certainly not prosecuted, I'm just aggravated that all this is being thrown onto the police officer that responded to a very touchy situation and seems to me was left between a rock and a hard place when it came to letting a woman go home or be arrested.

They were in a public place, a third party was involved and believe it or not just letting her go could have had the officer brought under scrutiny from the department and or the store for just letting her leave, especially if anything happened to the kids after the fact. Is that a remote chance, sure it is, but I'm not willing to be my job and home on it.

Things are not as black and white as alot of posters are making this situation to be, there is a huge difference between using discretion on a traffic violation and a possible child endangerment situation.

 

[NYBlue1]

I linked this earlier, but here is the exact quote from the article. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-momontrial,0,833520.story

Ok all the defendants side of the story, I was looking for something less bias to the situation

 

[NYBlue1]

I have seen no reference to this "belligerent and excited and uncooperative" that you speak of, got a link with that mentioned?

I have seen that this was a woman at Walmart with 3 children, and no other adult was with her. I bet she was spending her time being more terrified and anxious. But...I am being clear that I think that's how she would feel, and not how she was actually feeling (or behaving).

If you are not these things you dont get arrested for resisting arrest, I believe that she was arrested for that as well, that is what I am refering to.

 

[piglet too]

Not that it really matters, but I just saw an article from today that says the community service officer and the police officer who responded, are dating.

 

[piglet too]

I can go find the links if you want, but her arrest charges were for "child endangerment" and "obstruction of justice". The Crestwood police chief has said that she did not cooperate by refusing to answer questions. Never once have I seen him refer to her as belligerent.

 

[meandtheguys2]

If you are not these things you dont get arrested for resisting arrest, I believe that she was arrested for that as well, that is what I am refering to.

So, you are making an inference?

But her explanation isn't good enough? Feel much of a bias?

 

[disneymom3]

Just out of curiosity, why was I quoted in the above post???

I have no idea! I didn't even see that until I came back this morning. Sorry!