Sarai James: Alabama mother arrested after allegedly running over son,7, during punishment walk home

SUWANNEE COUNTY, ALABAMA: Last week, authorities in Alabama arrested a 27-year-old mother for reportedly taking the punishment of her 7-year-old child to another level. Allegedly, the mother compelled the boy to walk home from school, culminating in her accidentally running over him with her fast-moving vehicle, per Law and Crime. 

Boaz police have apprehended two women following an incident where investigators allege that a woman intentionally drove her car over her own child as a form of "punishment."

According to court documents, 27-year-old Sarai Rachel James has been charged with aggravated child abuse in relation to the incident that occurred on February 9.

What did Sarai James do? 

Carla Mae Owens, a 53-year-old woman, was present in the vehicle driven by Sarai James when the alleged incident of striking her child occurred. Owens has also been arrested and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor offense.

According to information provided by the Boaz Police Department, as reported by AL, the principal of the school attended by James' son contacted her on February 8. The principal informed James that her son had encountered disciplinary issues earlier in the school day.

That afternoon, James picked up her son from the school, which is reportedly located approximately eight blocks from their house. Although their home was only a "short distance" from the school, police stated that James stopped the vehicle and instructed her son to exit.

Afterward, she informed the child that his punishment for misbehaving at school was to walk or run the remaining distance home.

According to police reports, The child allegedly attempted to re-enter the car by grabbing the passenger-side door handle shortly after being ejected from the vehicle.

James, however, reacted by speeding up in an attempt to get away from her child, which caused the youngster to get dragged under the vehicle and run over by the back tire.

The child survived the incident 

Despite the disturbing chain of events, Sarai James was released from Marshall County Jail after posting a $50,000 bond. Remarkably, despite the severity of the incident, the 7-year-old boy managed to walk away relatively unharmed.

"The child suffered only abrasions,” Boaz Police Chief Michael Abercrombie reportedly told. “It is a miracle he was not hurt worse than what he was.”

For medical attention, the boy was sent to the University of Alabama Hospital. Following her $500 bond payment, Owens was released from the Boaz City Jail. A judge barred James from communicating with her son until further notice after her initial court appearance.