A Batavia woman is accused of making her 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old friend ride in the trunk of her car going to and coming from a bonfire at a friend's house on Old Creek Road this past Friday.
Julie C. Stevens, 57, of 18 Harvester Ave., is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
She appeared in Batavia City Court this morning and Judge Michael Delplato required her to take her daughter to the girl's father's house in Perry before imposing an order of protection barring her from contact with the girl while the case is pending.
She was also given time to arrange for representation through the Public Defender's Office.
Stevens is scheduled to appear in city court on Wednesday and enter a plea and receive the order of protection.
In a statement to police, Steven said she had six children riding in her car after they had spent some time playing at the spray park. She said the back seat of her car folds down and there were children sitting on the folded down seats and her daughter and another child in the trunk.
She said they spent two hours at the bonfire.
A mother from Varysburg filed a complaint with city police after one of her children -- who had been left at Steven's house to be babysat -- told her a couple of days later what allegedly happened.
The city court file contains statements from the mother and two of her children, including the 11-year-old boy who was allegedly told to ride in the trunk.
The make and model of Steven's car were not listed in the court file and the information is not available through city police.
The case was investigated by Officer James DeFreze and Officer Jason Davis.
I'm not trying to defend her
I'm not trying to defend her or say that what she did was right but I remember riding in the bed of pickup trucks countless times as a kid.
I know, I know, seat belt laws, maximum number of occupants in a vehicle..etc..etc. How far did they have to travel, what time of the day/evening was it, what's the whole picture of what happened? Example: Was she out on an 8 lane expressway in rush hour traffic with kids in the trunk or was it a mile ride down country roads?
What if it was 8:45 PM and a
What if it was 8:45 PM and a Half mile ride to the Ice Cream Shop on a seemingly empty road...?
A mother put or allowed their kids to ride in the TRUNK of a car while they drove down the road. You think there MAY be circumstances that justify this or make it OK?
Joseph, did you miss my first
Joseph, did you miss my first line?
If, like the news report states, the trunk was open to the back seat, it's not like they were locked in there with no way out.
Have you ever heard of "mitigating circumstances?" If not, please google the phrase.
Hey Joseph, I used to own a
Hey Joseph, I used to own a work pickup truck and once took myself and 6 kids from the neighborhood to K-Mart to get bicycle tire inner tubes and a patch kit. Two kids rode in the front with me and 4 rode in the bed of the pickup. It was a 2 mile run. The kids all behaved and stayed seated. Do you think I should've been charged with some crime?
How about school buses? How about transit buses? Does anyone have to wear seat belts in those vehicles? I don't know if you've ever ridden a transit bus before but people sit in every direction while riding in them.
A big a do about nothing. I
A big a do about nothing. I remember sneaking into the outdoor drive in movies in the truck of the car. What teenager does not have memories like that?
Was the 11 year old boy
Was the 11 year old boy complaining to his mother or telling her about the great time he had? Did the mother of the 13 year old girl make them do it, really? The problem was the kid that wasn't hers who told his mother. I'm assuming the rest were her own children. Unless they were trapped against their will I think it's nothing. If the alleged criminal actually forced them into the trunk that's a crime, if they just got in the trunk so they didn't have to walk, then it's not. In my courtroom anyway. That's the courtroom of my opinion.
tp, I was thinking the same
tp, I was thinking the same thing. Of course there was more then 1 occasion when someone didn't get let out right away. I never made my kids ride in the trunk, although I thought about a few times. LOL
I bet they'll be talking
I bet they'll be talking about this on the radio in the morning........
@Bob,
@Bob, http://twitter.com/KimberlyandBeck/statuses/20297371753
Apparently, the mother of the 11-year old called in.