Woman drives with son strapped to roof of minivan to hold down plastic pool

OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman was charged on Tuesday after allegedly strapping her 9-year-old son to the top of her minivan to hold down a plastic pool she had purchased.

Amber Schmunk, 28, admitted that she allowed her son to take this dangerous ride on Sept. 9.

Schmunk was charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety, a felony, and could face 10 years behind bars, according to WITI-TV.

According to the criminal complaint, Schmunk did not have a way to strap down the pool, so she had her son hold it down. Eventually, she pulled over and took her son and the pool off the roof. She managed to fold the pool and get it inside the van.

"That woman needs to think about the safety of her children," neighbor Barbara Sellin told WITI.

"To put a kid on top of the car is beyond ridiculous," she said.

Schmunk told police that she “believed it was OK as her father let her do things like that when she was that age,” WITI reported.

Cox Media Group