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Sometimes things aren’t what they appear to be. That thought
came to mind last week as I read an Associated Press story about a
mother who was facing misdemeanor charges of child endangerment for
leaving her two-year old child unattended in a car.
I normally go ballistic when I hear about parents leaving their
children or pets unattended in vehicles during the hot, summer months.
When I first read the headline, I reacted as I usually do, and my blood
pressure escalated.
But this wasn’t a story about some hair-brained individual exhibiting
total disregard of the safety of her child. Quite the opposite, this
woman was attempting to do something very positive, and was at the
wrong place, at the wrong time when a community service officer came
along.
Treffly Coyne, a 36-year-old suburban Chicago mother, brought her
two daughters and a friend to a mall so the two older girls could make
a donation to a Salvation Army kettle near a mall. The girls had saved
$8.29 and wanted to give the money to the Salvation Army shortly before
Christmas.
Coyne contends her two-year old daughter Phoebe was sleeping soundly as
they approached the Wal-Mart store in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood.
When Coyne arrived at the store, she found a spot to park in a loading
zone, less than 10 yards from the bell ringer. It was sleeting out, so
instead of waking the two-year old, and carrying her across the icy
sidewalk to the red kettle, she switched on the emergency flashers,
locked the car, activated the alarm and walked the other two children
to the bell ringer.
Coyne took a few pictures of the girls making their donations, and
returned towards the car. Unfortunately, a community service officer
spotted the parked car, saw young Phoebe sleeping in the unattended
car, and reported the violation.
She wouldn’t let Coyne into the vehicle, would not listen when she
explained that they didn’t set foot in the store, had the girl in her
sight the entire time she was away from the car, that they were less
than 30 feet from the vehicle, and left the car unattended for less
than two minutes.
The Illinois State Child Welfare Agency was called in. They conducted
an extensive background check of Coyne, and found she was a good
mother. But the county attorney’s office decided to push the issue and
charged Coyne with child endangerment and obstructing a peace officer,
both misdemeanor offenses.
If found guilty, Coyne could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined $2,500.
If the facts of this AP story are correct, it does sound as if a
well-meaning community service officer did over-react. But once the
county attorney’s office heard what really happened, why did they
decide to push this and render the charges? I certainly hope the judge
overseeing this case is an open-minded individual. Leaving a two-year
old unattended in a vehicle is definitely a no-no, in most cases.
But as Coyne said, “It was sleeting out, it wasn’t pleasant. She was
sleeping. I felt it was safer leaving her in the safety of a warm,
locked and alarmed car, than taking her out on the icy sidewalk.”
If I was the judge, I’d have to agree with that logic, point out that
Ms. Coyne did break the law, and give her a verbal warning. But a year
in jail and a $2,500 fine…no way.
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