Mar 12, 2008 5:35 pm US/Central
Mom No Longer On Trial For Leaving Child In Car
Case Has Sparked Debate: Did Treffly Coyne Deserve To Be Arrested?
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
CBS 2 has learned a local case that sparked nationwide debate will not go forward.
Ellen "Treffly" Coyne left her 2-year-old in the car while donating to the Salvation Army. Her older daughters raised $8 for the kettle in December at a Crestwood Wal-Mart.
Her toddler was asleep in the car 10 yards away.
Minutes later, she was under arrest -- the focus of both a police investigation and a probe by the state's child welfare agency. Now the case that has become an Internet flash point for people who either blast police for overstepping their authority or Coyne for putting a child in danger.
Coyne, 36, was supposed to go on trial Thursday for endangerment and obstructing police. A source close to the investigation tells CBS 2 the state's attorney office has decided not to pursue the charges.
Coyne could have been sentenced to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Talk about the case was intense, particularly online, where bloggers are weighing in on various message boards.
Many have harsh words for the police department, calling the arrest of a mother who left her child in a locked car for a few minutes an abuse of authority.
Yet statistics show thousands of children are injured and dozens die every year after being left unattended near or inside vehicles.
"I am talking tens of thousands of people who leave their kids in the car for any period of time all around America," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kansas-based Kids and Cars. "People don't appreciate the dangers of leaving a child alone in the car."
Coyne's attorney, Michelle Forbes, argued that Coyne did not break the law any more than a mother who parks in front of a school in a rainstorm and leaves an infant in the car as she runs a few feet to pick up another child.
"As long as the car is not out of her sight, then the child is not unattended," she said.
Coyne and her husband believe she was unfairly lumped in with parents who put their children's lives at risk.
"If I were going on a shopping spree then, yes, I would deserve arrest," Coyne said. "I was standing right there. I never went into the store.
"I'm a great parent."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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