A Georgia mother is now facing a criminal charge after police say she let her 13-year-old daughter drive during a school drop-off, leading to a terrifying crash that left the mother seriously injured.
Shumeka Johnson, 35, has been charged with reckless conduct in connection with the April 22 incident outside Brumby Elementary School on Terrell Mill Road in Cobb County, according to police.
The shocking crash happened around 7:59 a.m. in the school’s drop-off lane.
According to the Cobb Police Department, a 13-year-old girl was behind the wheel of a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica that was stopped in the line. A 4-year-old boy and a 6-month-old girl were also inside the vehicle at the time.
Police said the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and struck Johnson, who was standing in front of it.
The situation then turned even more horrifying when the vehicle “came to a final rest on top of her,” according to authorities.
The Chrysler later went into reverse and crashed into an unoccupied parked car, police said.
Johnson suffered serious injuries and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Weeks later, on June 3, a criminal warrant was issued for Johnson’s arrest by the Magistrate Court of Cobb County, according to local reports.
An arrest affidavit filed in magistrate court alleged that Johnson allowed her 13-year-old daughter to operate the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Police claimed in the document that Johnson “did endanger the bodily safety” of the minor girl who was driving, especially because “the vehicle did not have an adult inside,” according to East Cobb News.
The affidavit also accused Johnson of reckless conduct by “consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk” that her actions could endanger the child’s safety.
Authorities said that disregard represented a “gross deviation” from the standard of care a reasonable person would have exercised in the situation.
Cobb County Magistrate Court Judge Charles Chesbro found probable cause for Johnson’s arrest and signed the warrant, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Johnson’s bond was set at $300.
The Cobb Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.
