"KETTERING, Ohio – An Ohio mother spotted breast-feeding a youngster and talking on a phone while driving has pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangering and unlawful child restraint. Attorney Joseph Warden filed the plea Thursday in Kettering Municipal Court on behalf of 39-year-old Genine Compton of Kettering.

Police filed the misdemeanor charges after a motorist saw Compton on Feb. 26. Authorities used a license plate number to track her down.

Police say Compton told them she was breast-feeding and wouldn't let her child go hungry.

Warden says he believes his client is not guilty.

Police say the woman faces up to 180 days in jail and a $1,800 fine if convicted."

This would be multi-tasking to the extreme. In many places it is against the law to talk on the phone while driving, but to be feeding, talking and driving!

That is downright silly! Surely she could have stopped the car to do both things.

Guilty as sin, and should pay some sort of penalty.

I've done all three things, but not simultaneously.
That would be foolish.
Why not just pull over? Babies can yell for a while before they begin to starve.
Before she had the baby, she probably put on her makeup and talked on the phone whilst driving.

That scenario really horrifies me. I'd say she should pay any penalty/fine/jail time -- there's no excuse for driving and feeding the baby at the same time.

How did she get the baby out of the baby car seat in order to feed? She had to have pulled over for that. My mind can't get around this one.

I can't even begin to say how insane and dangerous this is - on so many levels! Now I am wondering is she even needed to stop to get the baby out of a carseat. Why? Because I have to question if the baby was even in one to begin with?! She ought to take whatever she is given as a consequence and shut her mouth. I hope she learns from it also, but that I doubt. I can't get my mind around it either, Sue.

It even seems a bit offhand to be talking on the phone when feeding a baby.

Let me get this straight. One arm cradled around the baby to keep him in position. The other hand with the phone in it - because you can't cradle a cell phone in your neck, they are too small. So which hand was on the wheel? Please don't tell me she was holding the phone with the arm that was cradling the baby. I don't even want to think about what would have happened had she needed to brake. And as for the lawyer saying he believes his client is not guilty of child endangerment - I'm speechless.

Here's a video of an interview with the mother.

In this case, officers said Compton had the child in the lap with the baby's head up against the steering wheel . They say there is not only the risk of a crash, but deployment of the airbag.

Compton said she will take the advice of the officers into consideration, but she may breast feed her baby while driving in the future if she feels that is is necessary

She shows absolutely no remorse or understanding of the stupidity and the danger of her actions. None whatsoever.

Some people really do not deserve to have children, she couldn't even see the difference between an airbag stopping her being injured when she is secured with a seatbelt compare to an airbag hitting her child in the head!

Wow this is really crazy. I imagine it was an automatic car she was driving. Here most people drive a manuel car so it's would be virtually impossible to change gears, feed a baby and talk on the cell phone. She must have done this before because babies don't drink if the mother isn't comfortable. Here it is illegal to talk on a cell phone when driving and also to have a baby out of a car seat and in the front seat when driving. So she would be charged with that alone. She says that her baby was hungry but wouldn't it be the lesser of the two evils to let the baby wait a little than risk his life. I mean, how many times haven't we all been in the situation where we had to rush home with a screaming baby in the pram or car because he/she needed her feed and there was nowhere practical to stop.

This woman has no excuse for her behaviour.

Really outrageous!! You shouldn't really be doing anything while driving - you're in charge of a big, hurling potential-death machine. Not only would it be extra-bad for the baby, if you crashed it, but could possibly be bad for someone you hit when you're so distracted. If she tries it again, they should yank her license.

Y

If she had the baby's head up against the steering wheel I shudder to think how Mum must have been sitting.

The morning she was caught she was driving to school to drop off her other kids. She said in another interview that the baby (who is 'under 2 years old') is fed at certain, exact times. This leads one to believe she's in the habit of feeding her baby every morning on the way to school. She also stated that "she had no choice, and that she is being picked on."

You'd think that after being charged with child endangerment she would have woken up and said "Yes, you're right, I'm so sorry, I've learnt my lesson, I won't do it again." Instead she has taken an arrogant stance, one of "I'll do what I darn well please when I darn well please."

She also stated that the airbag would protect the baby should it be deployed. I was in an accident once, and received injuries on my chest and abdomen from the seat belt, which took a few weeks to heal. My doctor told me I was lucky the airbag didn't go off, or my injuries would have been much worse. It's like being kicked hard in the head apparently, and that's assuming you're a certain distance away when it goes off. To be right up against the steering wheel... *shudders*

I hope the judge throws the book at her. She is a sorry excuse of a mother.

There are no mitigating circumstances in what this woman has done! She deserves to be 'done' for every single infringement possible and forbidden to ever drive with children in her car. Her behaviour is utterly stupid.

Let the baby wait until she can look after it's needs properly and ditch the phone while in the car.

I cannot believe she can have been so utterly idiotic to try feeding her baby whilst 'driving' her car. It breaks so many rules of common sense, not to mention the civil laws of every developed country that it goes beyond any excusing or leniency at all.