Follow Up: Breast-feeding driver claims harassement

The Cincinnati Enquirer ^ | Friday, June 20, 2003 | AP

[yankeedame]

Friday, June 20, 2003

Breast-feeding driver to contest charges

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The Associated Press

RAVENNA, Ohio - A woman charged with child endangering after troopers saw her breast-feeding her daughter while driving on the Ohio Turnpike claims the prosecutor has harassed her by piling on more charges.

Catherine Donkers, 29, of Pittsburgh, was arrested May 8 and faces a court appearance in Ravenna on Aug. 6 on charges of failing to comply with a lawful order, obstructing official business, driving while under suspension, improper child restraint and child endangering.

Donkers has said she understood there was a risk in breast-feeding while driving, but she said using a cell phone behind the wheel was riskier.

Donkers, in a complaint sent to the prosecutor by her husband, Brad Barnhill, claims the child endangering and failure to comply charges were added by an assistant prosecutor to intimidate her.

The other charges were filed by troopers who stopped Donkers along the turnpike. The failure to comply charge alleged that she drove for several miles before stopping for troopers at a toll plaza southeast of Cleveland.

[bedolido]

Two boob threads in a row...

[irish guard]

This mother is a boob for trying to breast feed her child in a car while operating the vehicle.....will you continue to keep us abreast of the situation?

Sorry couldn't resist!

[nevergore]

Duh! That's because they come in pairs......

NeverGore :^)

[ken5050]

wanna bet she poses for Playboy?

[r9etb]

Harrassment from the prosecutors on acount of herbreastment.

[nravoter]

I want to start seeing this on bumper stickers:

BUTTON UP AND DRIVE!

[Calpernia]

If indecent exposure was one of the charges (referencing the breast feeding), I would say, yes, she was harrassed.

BUT all the charges she was hit with are just.

[1rudeboy]

Your honor, the prosecutor is making it difficult to defend my client.

[Dems_R_Losers]

Unbelievable. When my oldest child was a newborn I had to take him with me to see his godparents off at the airport. The flight was delayed so we stayed longer than expected. On the drive home he got very hungry and I knew he could not wait another half-hour to eat, so I PULLED OFF THE ROAD and fed him! It only takes 20 minutes at the most. Surely this mother was not in that desperate a situation that she could not take 20 minutes to pull off the highway and safely feed her baby. I simply cannot imagine trying to feed a baby while driving.

[pubmom]

This poor child is doomed with an idiot set of parents like these!

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Hold muh...

...ick, never mind.

[Exeter]

"...she said using a cell phone behind the wheel was riskier."

When was the last time someone had to put a cell phone on her shoulder to burp it after feeding?

[mewzilla]

Not to mention the cell phone doesn't have to worry about its neck being broken by an inflating air bag. Or it's body being crushed by the steering column. This woman is a menace.

[Chemist_Geek]

FWIW, over on this thread, we've concluded that the failure to comply charge won't stand, and that there is a loophole for the failure to restrain charge.

Of course, if she tries to go to court in propia persona, the circus will be more entertaining than usual...