Story Archive

Safety First!

When a Broward County, Fla., deputy spotted a car with a headlight out and the same car “nearly” ran a red light, he initiated a traffic stop. But the driver, Breona Watkins, 19, kept driving for another quarter mile before pulling over. Once Watkins stopped and the officer wrote the ticket, the other deputy heard something in Watkins’ trunk. After opening the trunk, they allegedly found Watkins’ 5-month-old baby nestled in there with some hedge shears, a rusty metal hanger, a tire iron, a used gas can, and other hazardous materials. The baby had allegedly been sitting in the lap of the 14-year-old girl who was riding with Watkins, and when the police went to pull her over, she allegedly told the girl to put the baby in the trunk to avoid a ticket for not having a car seat. Watkins was arrested and charged with child abuse, resisting an officer, and five traffic-related offenses, including driving without a license and failure to have a child restraint. (MS/South Florida Sun-Sentinel) ...Too bad the smartest person in the car was in the trunk.