US mother charged over car boot children
A mother has been charged with child abuse and cruelty after she allegedly forced two of her children to take turns riding in the boot of a car on an eight-hour drive from Alabama to Virginia.
Cheryl Ann Schoonmaker, 38, forced the two girls, aged eight and 10, to take turns in the boot on July 1 because there was not enough room in the car, according to Curtis Schoonmaker, her ex-husband.
The woman was driving five children, including an infant, to her ex-husband’s home outside Washington DC. None of the children was injured during the trip. The girls told their father what happened the next day and he called the police.
A magistrate in Stafford County released Schoonmaker on $5,000 bail (€4,108), according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
“They asked to be let out. ... It was a hot day,” Curtis Schoonmaker said.
Three of the five girls in the car were the Schoonmakers’ children. One of the other children was a family friend and the infant was Cheryl Schoonmaker’s.
Cheryl Schoonmaker is scheduled for arraignment on July 22. The charges each carry a maximum of five years in prison.
Curtis Schoonmaker said his ex-wife had the option of renting a larger car but declined to do so. “She claims she doesn’t see the harm in it. She didn’t believe any accident would result.”
