An Alabama mother punished her 7-year-old son by making him walk home from school, but accidentally ran him over, according to the police. Sarai Rachel James, 27, was charged with aggravated child abuse in connection to the harsh disciplinary measures, as indicated by records from Marshall County Jail.
James collected her son from Boaz school around 3:30 p.m. on February 9 and was told by the principal that he had faced issues earlier that day. James stopped her car at some distance from the school and instructed her son to come out. She told him that he would need to walk or run the remaining distance home, around eight blocks.
Mother Turns Cruel Punisher
There were two women in the car along with the boy, James, and an unidentified 53-year-old woman, police told McClatchy News. Both have been taken into custody.
James drove alongside her son for a few blocks, during which the boy attempted to grasp the car door handle. Unfortunately, as James accelerated, her son was pulled beneath the vehicle and subsequently run over by the rear tire.
Investigators suggest that a part of the incident was an accident.
Boaz Chief of Police Michael Abercrombie told McClatchy News that the child wouldn't have been in such a predicament if James had not opted for that form of punishment.
"She may not have realized he was doing that," Abercrombie said.
Following the incident, the boy was rushed to the University of Alabama hospital, where he was found to have scrapes on his back and the side of his head. "God watched over him," Abercombie said.
Luckily Saved from Death
James was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse. She was released on a $50,000 bond on February 11, according to records from Marshall County Jail. She is reportedly barred from having any contact with her son.
It is unclear where the child is and if he is in some family member's custody.
The 53-year-old passenger who was in James' car at the time of the incident has also been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was released on a $500 bond.
In her booking photo, James, who stands at approximately 5 feet 2 inches, appeared expressionless, clad in a baggy red t-shirt.
In Alabama law, aggravated child abuse encompasses instances where a "responsible person" inflicts "serious physical injury" to a child in a single occurrence or causes harm through "acts on more than one occasion."
