A Southern California mother was arrested and charged with child endangerment after police caught her driving on the freeway with a baby on her lap while texting.
A concerned citizen spotted Shawndeeia Bowen, 29, on the 405 freeway, called police and then tailed Bowen to keep track of her whereabouts, The Huffington Post reported.
Officers said she still had the cellphone in her hand and the 1-year-old baby in her lap when Torrance police pulled her over, Los Angeles TV station KTLA reported.
The single mother claimed the baby was crying, and pulled her up to the front seat to calm her down, police told KTLA.
Officers also found a 2-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl unsecured in the back seat, The Huffington Post reported.
After she was arrested, police discovered that Bowen was driving on a suspended license and was on five years of probation for a child abuse charge she pleaded no contest to in 2010, Los Angeles TV station KABC reported.
Bowen was jailed on $131,000 bond, and the three children were placed in the care of the Department of Child and Family Services. Her car was also impounded for 30 days, The Huffington Post reported.
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