Mother accused of shutting two children in trunk

Incident occurred at Wal-Mart in Fredericksburg's Central Park; Quantico resident was punishing kids, police say

Date published: 6/28/2005

By KEITH EPPS

A Quantico mother is accused of putting two small children in the trunk of her car as punishment for misbehavior in a store.

The incident occurred about noon Saturday outside the Wal-Mart in Central Park, Fredericksburg police spokesman Jim Shelhorse said.

An off-duty police officer from New Hampshire was waiting for someone in the parking lot at Wal-Mart when he heard children crying, Shelhorse said.

The cries sounded like they were coming from the next car over, Shelhorse said, but Wayne Ingersoll of the Sandown Police Department said he saw only a woman in the car.

Another woman walked up and asked Ingersoll if he'd seen two children being put in the trunk. Ingersoll had not, but got out of his vehicle and stopped the driver as she pulled away.

He ordered the woman to get the children out, and she complied, Shelhorse said.

Fredericksburg Officer Johnny Wright arrived and Ingersoll pointed out the woman to him.

The children, a boy and a girl, are both 5, Shelhorse said.

Tamatha Parker, 33, was charged with child abuse. She was not arrested there, Shelhorse said, in part because the children were getting even more upset about the possibility of their mother going to jail.

It was not clear last night whether she was ever taken into custody.

Wright let the children leave with their mother, but reported the incident to the Social Services Department, Shelhorse said.

Police said other adults and three more children came to the shopping center in Parker's vehicle, but Wright refused to let the other children leave with Parker because there weren't enough child seats.

Another vehicle came to to pick up the other passengers, Shelhorse said.

Ingersoll was passing through town, Shelhorse said, but it was not clear where he was heading.

Other cases involving children and car trunks have received nationwide media coverage this month.

In Maryland, a mother is accused of driving with three children in the trunk of her car. Police there say an off-duty state trooper watched Lanora Lucas put her children, 9 and 3, and an 8-year-old friend into her trunk on June 4 and leave a shopping center in Frederick, northwest of Washington. She faces three counts of reckless endangerment and traffic charges, including failure to restrain the children.

And in Camden, N.J., three boys missing for two days were found dead Friday in a car trunk. Authorities ruled the deaths accidental, but an investigation continues into why law-enforcement officials failed to search the trunk. The bodies were found by the father of one of the boys.

To reach KEITH EPPS:540/374-5404kepps@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 6/28/2005