Mother rides with her 5-month-old baby in a trunk to avoid a fine

A South Florida mother was arrested after police discovered a baby in the trunk of the car she was driving.

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies said 19-year-old Breona Watkins was arrested during a traffic stop, Tuesday around 1 a.m., when they found her 5-month-old child in the trunk.

Watkins appeared in bond court Tuesday afternoon and is being held on $7,000 bond. She has been charged with child abuse without great bodily harm and other traffic violations.

Deputies said they prompted Watkins to pull over on Monday for a busted tail light, but she kept driving. When she finally pulled over about a half mile later, deputies said Watkins gave a false name and did not have a license.

About 15 minutes into the stop, BSO Deputy Juan Canino heard crying. “So, I didn’t think maybe it was something in the car, but I kept hearing it, and that’s when I realized there’s a baby in the trunk, so I grabbed the keys, opened the trunk and there he was,” he said. “I was very surprised.”

Authorities said Watkins had told a 14-year-old boy riding in the car with her to get in the back seat with the baby and then slide the baby through an access panel into the trunk. She said she did not have a child seat for the baby and did not want to be ticketed for that.

The baby was not injured, but he was surrounded by dangerous debris. “There was a gas can that was used in the back of the car, an old fuel pump for a car,” said BSO Sgt. Tom Hinton. “The child was actually laying on top of a hedge trimmers which are about 12 inches long and are used to cut bushes. There was an old rusted tire iron that the child was laying on top of and a bunch of other debris. Even in plastic bags and everything, it could have suffocated the child in the back of the car.”

Richardson said her niece is a good person who simply made a mistake. “This situation is very tragic,” she said. “She a good mother, a good child.”

“She lives with me, so I see it on a first-hand basis,” Richardson continued, “and this is by no means, as far as saying that she’s a bad mother, I think. She’s a great mother.”

Watkins is being held on $7,000 bond.