A Michigan woman who captured kids hanging out of her car while driving was taken into custody, police said.
Ashjunaria Virginia Townsend, a 23-year-old Detroit resident, was charged with one count of reckless driving and four counts of second-degree child abuse, according to the local police department. She is accused of allowing her nieces and nephews to stand on the seats with their heads out the windows earlier this month.
Townsend allegedly recorded the 5-year-old, 9-year-old, and two 10-year-olds while behind the wheel on Feb. 10 . It was posted on social media and went viral. In the video obtained by Fox 2, one small child is seen sitting on her lap while the others are out the windows.
“DPD investigators will remain involved with this matter and will assist the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as it prosecutes this case,” police said in a statement.” All suspects are presumed innocent pending further proceedings.
Townsend, the children’s aunt, told the outlet that she was only going 2 mph at the time but expressed that she regretted the entire situation.
“First of all, I’d like to say that I’ve already apologized to the parents of the kids,” she said. “I do regret letting them hang out of the window,” Townsend said to the news station. “I definitely do feel sorry for that because it could’ve went badly.”
“My family is willing to vouch,” she continued. “They are ready to go to war behind me and do whatever it takes to show that I’m a great auntie.”
Detroit Police Chief James White slammed Townsend’s actions, describing it as “outrageous” to Fox 2: “As you saw with one of the kids, it looked like the child was about to lose her balance in one of the turns. That just could’ve been disastrous.”
As The Detroit News reported, Townsend was given a $50,000 personal bond and will appear in court on Tuesday morning. A preliminary examination is set for March 5.
