Mom faces trial for leaving toddler in car

[smokey the elder]

So where was CPS when Nixmarie Brown was getting beaten and tortured??

[Lady's Human]

I can think of any number of "What ifs" covering almost every single activity people do every day. For instance, I fall asleep while watching my 3 y/o. Should I have to answer to CPS? After all, there are any number of evils which could befall him while I nod off for 30 seconds.

The Nanny state needs to go away. The police involved in this would be far more gainfully employed catching actual criminals and guarding against criminal activity instead of creating criminals by going after petty garbage like this.

[Cataholic]

I can think of any number of "What ifs" covering almost every single activity people do every day. For instance, I fall asleep while watching my 3 y/o. Should I have to answer to CPS? After all, there are any number of evils which could befall him while I nod off for 30 seconds.

I was thinking the exact same thing. My son can get out of his carseat, and could operate little buttons, climb into the front seat, out the window, etc. All while I am physically in the car with him. Should I be jailed because of this?

We are out walking in the 'hood, and Jonah darts out into the street. I am right there with him. Should I be jailed because of this?

Jonah goes into the bathroom for his 'needs'. He gets his hand pinched in the door. Should I be jailed because of this? After all, he was not in my sight!

Of course not. There are elements of the crime of child endangering. They require the act of a prudent person, and include words like reasonable, and likely.

Everything happens in a matter of seconds- accidents, intentional acts, good things, and bad. Life is risky. Hell, she could have been attacked, as she approached the kettle, by a mugger with a sleeping child in her arms, knocked to the ground, on top of the child, suffering a skull fracture. Or, with the child in her arms, she could have slipped on ice, or, the other kids could have been hit by a car, kidnapped....and on and on and on.

[lizbud]

I don't think the woman deserves harsh punishment for doing this but
I do think it was bad judgement on her part to be off taking pictures of
the other kids & leaving the baby alone in the car.

What if the car was hit be a passing car, what if it was carjacked?
Things can change in a minute & it's never good to leave an infant
alone like that ever. IMO

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I don't know the answer to this one. Kids can disappear from their own yards or even beds in a matter of seconds, never mind a car even if they are being watched.

Even having them under 24 hour surveillance wouldn't keep them all safe.

[lizbud]

They dropped charges against the woman.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,4588939.story

[sparks19]

I am glad they dropped the charges. I think perhaps they realized they didn't have a snowballs chance at winning this.

I couldn't agree with ladyshuman and cataholic MORE. I think a simple warning from the officer would have sufficed rather than cuffing the woman right in front of her children (was her sleeping child left in the car while this woman was handcuffed and put in the back of the police cruiser?)

Last I checked power windows didn't work without the car being on and since she locked the doors and alarmed the car I think it is safe to assume the car was not running (we can't get out of our car and lock the doors if the key is in the ignition)

There are so many "what if's" and if everyone lived life by a bunch of what if's we'd all be shut in's wrapped in padding in a padded room so that nothing could EVER happen.

Perhaps this woman didn't use her best judgement but come ON taking her to court and threatening a year in prison? YA that will help her children

CPS is such a mess anymore. While they were preoccupied conducting a full abuse and neglect investigation on a woman who left her kid in the car in plain sight what horrible cases of abuse were they ignoring?

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Last I checked power windows didn't work without the car being on and since she locked the doors and alarmed the car I think it is safe to assume the car was not running (we can't get out of our car and lock the doors if the key is in the ignition)

Actually, you can lock the doors and leave the car running on some cars. I've done it before.

I'm glad the charges were dropped too.