A parade of "poor choices."

"She is a good mother, but she is still young and she just made a mistake," stated Laura Richardson.






The police in Fort Lauderdale FL spotted a vehicle driving with a headlight out at around 1 am on September 24 2014 and attempted to pull it over after the car also stopped in an intersection.  Breona Watkins, 19, the driver and her 14 year old passenger did not stop immediately but they did after about a quarter mile.  Watkins gave the police a false name when asked for her identification at first but later admitted that it wasn't her real name.

About fifteen minutes into the traffic stop, police heard what sounded like a baby crying in the trunk of the car and had the trunk opened.  It was then that police did find a five month old baby lying in the trunk, along with a gas can, a fuel pump, rusted tire iron and brush cutting shears.  At no time during the traffic stop did Watkins or the boy riding with her mention that her baby was in there.

According to the arrest warrant, Watkins had noticed the police and decided that she did not want to receive a ticket for her baby boy not being in a child seat.  She told the 14 year old boy that was holding her son on his lap to fold down the backseat partition and put the baby in the trunk.  He did that while Watkins drove along refusing to pull over.


Watkins mother, Laura Richardson, has stated that her daughter had panicked and made a poor choice by hiding her baby in the trunk.  She is awaiting approval from child services to take temporary custody of the little boy.  Watkins on the other hand spent the night in jail and was being held on a $7,000 bond.  She is facing at least seven charges that include child abuse without great bodily harm, driving without a valid license, resisting an officer without violence and having no safety belt for a passenger under 18.  I am not sure which of Watkins choices that night was a poor one........... starting with driving without a license.  Her mother evidently thinks that stuffing your infant in the trunk is really not that bad and she wants to have custody of the same infant?

On Sunday, September 21 2014, John Lourenco, 53, was arrested for DUI in Pawtucket RI after he crashed his Dodge pickup truck into a family's SUV.  The mid-morning crash sent him to the hospital as well as injuring the family's four and six year old children.  Lourenco was placed in restraints at the hospital after he threatened a police officer and threw a bottle of urine at hospital staff.  He was booked, given a summons and then released.  This should have been enough for the local contractor to call it quits for a drunk weekend but he was only getting started on his "hot" streak.

For those readers who wish to keep score...... now would be the time to grab a pen and paper.  Laurenco next met the police in Cumberland RI at 7:15 am when he rear ended another car while driving a Chevy Malibu.  The responding officer suspected that he was under the influence and administered a field sobriety test, that Laurenco failed.  Evidently he had spent the night after his release earlier drinking instead of studying.  He was transported back to the Cumberland Police station and his BAC was found to be .220 at that time.  Again, he was given a summons and was released into the custody of his parents.

This didn't stop Luarenco or even slow him down it seems because he was spotted at around 11 am the same morning driving a 1970 Barracuda erratically on Tower Hill Rd.  Once again, he was pulled over, found to be intoxicated and taken to the hospital for treatment as well as another BAC.  It is no surprise that he failed that one as well.  As a short recap......... busted for DUI Sunday night in a pickup, busted twice again the following morning for DUI and the owner of two crashed vehicles so far.

Not to be deterred, Laurenco checked himself out of the hospital before he was officially discharged that day.  His parents evidently did not do a great job of keeping the keys out of his hands because he managed to get back on the road in a dump truck.  At around 5 pm the police were called to an accident on West Wrentham Rd where he had crashed the dump truck into a tree causing heavy damage.  He was once again transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries and again given a BAC.  This time though, the police actually held him overnight before sending him before a judge.

Lauernco was hit with $10,000 personal recognizance for the first DUI, $5,000 with surety for the second DUI and $20,000 with surety, bail supervision and no alcohol for the third DUI charge.  He did not have his license suspended though.  It seems strange that it would not be suspended yet, since licenses are suspended for infractions a lot less serious than a DUI.  As for his parents.........how embarrassing can it be to bail your 53 year old "child" out of jail for repeat DUI?

On September 25 2014, John Auteri, 48, was pulled over in Hempstead NY for failing to signal as he pulled into a parking lot off Route 112.  That would not be much for a moving violation except the officer discovered that Auteri was driving with a suspended license.  This was far from his first suspension........ he has had his license suspended or revoked on at least 20 different dates going back as far as 1986.

He has had it revoked or suspended a total of 49 times and has served jail time on at least three occasions for felony convictions of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.  It has been reported that he has continued to drive even after having his vehicle confiscated due to the convictions.

Auteri won't being driving for a while since he is being held on a $200,000 bond and faces a charge of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle again.  I do not think that even jail time will prevent Auteri from getting back behind the wheel again and I am not sure if these are poor choices or just really dumb choices.





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/breona-watkins_n_5875212.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767984/Teen-mom-5-month-old-baby-trunk-garden-shears-gas-cans-avoid-getting-ticket-not-having-car-seat.html

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/09/23/deputies-five-month-old-found-in-trunk-of-car/

http://www.local10.com/news/deputies-hear-baby-crying-in-trunk-during-traffic-stop/28216926

http://blog.4wheelonline.com/culture/ri-man-arrested-4-times-dui-30-hours-2/

http://wpri.com/2014/09/17/cumberland-man-charged-with-dui-four-times-in-two-days/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-lourenco-rhode-island-man-charged-with-drunk-driving-4-times-in-under-two-days/

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/25/police-long-island-man-busted-after-49-license-suspensions-since-1986/

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/26/nassau-da-calls-alleged-license-suspension-scofflaw-a-menace/