Charges were dropped on Thursday against a mother who was cited and charged with disorderly conduct after he toddler could not make it to the bathroom in time.
Not only will Augusta woman, and mother, Brooke Johns, not face jail time, she will no longer have to face the possibility of a $5,000 fine.
On Thursday, criminal charges against Johns were dropped by the Georgia state representative after John appeared in court to argue her case was actually a “toilet training accident.”
“This is one of those things where you take a look at the law, and sometimes in the spirit of things, it doesn’t fit,” attorney Ben Allen, who represented the state at Johns’ court appearance.
Johns, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the incident, was driving through Georgia when her 3-year-old son informed her he had to go potty.
So Johns pulled over at a gas station and attempted to assist him going to the bathroom.
However, her son didn’t make it to the bathroom.
So she did the next best thing: let him pee in the parking lot, since she could not lift him up since she was eight months pregnant.
Deputy T. Beasley, who observed the incident, cited her.
Initially, she was facing jail time as well as a $5,000 fine.
However, the state’s representative said people are sometimes forced to do something that is “out of character but is the right thing to do.”
“She allowed her male child to urinate in the parking lot,” deputy Beasley wrote in his citation.
“I observed the male’s genitals and the urination. Public restrooms are offered at the location.”
“He was peeing before his pants were even down all the way, so obviously he had to go, Johns argued.
“Accidents happen.”
It’s not uncommon for police to criminalize parenting.
Last month, we covered a story about a police officer forcing a mother to leave a public pool for breast feeding her child.