Alabama Mother Charged with Child Abuse After Accidentally Running Over Son as Punishment: Police

A mother in Alabama has been charged with child abuse after accidentally running over her 7-year-old son when she made him walk home from school as punishment, according to the Boaz Police Department.

Incident Details

The incident occurred on Feb. 9 around 3:30 p.m. when Sarai Rachel James, 27, picked up her son from school in Boaz, Alabama. James stopped her car near the school and made her son get out to walk home, around eight blocks away, as a form of punishment. As the boy walked, James drove alongside him for a few blocks, but when she slowed down, the boy tried to grab the car door handle. When James accelerated, her son was pulled under the car and run over by a rear tire.

Police Statement and Charges

The Boaz Chief of Police, Michael Abercrombie, said that the incident was believed to be an accident, but the boy would not have been in that situation if he hadn't been punished. The boy is in stable condition and is being treated for abrasions on his back and the side of his head at the University of Alabama hospital. James has been charged with aggravated child abuse and was released on a $50,000 bond three days after being arrested.