Amber Nicole Thompson, Jonesboro, Arkansas mother forces 7 year old son to walk 8 miles to school after missing bus as punishment, saying it ‘was not her problem’ to deputies.
A Jonesboro, Arkansas mother has been accused of forcing her 7-year-old son to walk nearly eight miles to school after the boy missed his bus.
Amber Nicole Thompson, 33, told Craighead County deputies that it ‘was not her problem’ if the boy had to walk to school because he was old enough to get himself up and get ready to go, Jonesboro Right Now reported.
The boy walked up to a farm shop about a half mile from his home Tuesday morning, telling the shop owner he had missed the bus and would get in trouble at home if he missed school. He was still seven miles from Valley View School, where he attended.
The shop owner called deputies, and the boy told them he’d gotten in trouble the night before and had to go to bed without dinner. He also told the deputies that Thompson told him to set an alarm and get himself up because ‘she wasn’t going to.’ The boy said he missed the bus in the dark and that he had skipped breakfast, WAFB reported.
Deputies went to the child’s home and found Thompson still asleep in one of the bedrooms along with the 7-year-old’s two younger brothers, 2 and 3. They said she confirmed what the child had told them.
But there was more to come.
Arkansas Department of Human Services employees came to the home, and found bruises on the 3-year-old’s face, arms, back, and buttocks. Thompson’s husband said he swatted the boy on Sunday for lying but said the bruises likely came from the older brother, according to WLBT. He was not arrested.
Thompson was charged with domestic battery of a person less than 12 and endangering the welfare of a minor and released on a $50,000 bond. She is due in court again on May 24.
