Tammy Cooper Jailed for Letting Kids Play Outside (Video)

Tammy Cooper was arrested and spent the night in jail for "child endangerment" after letting her children ride on their scooters in front of her home in the town of La Porte, near Houston, Texas.

Cooper was sitting on a lawn chair, where the stay-at-home mom had a clear view of her children, ages 9 and 6. Apparently, a neighbor called the police, prompting them to come to the Cul-de-sac where the Coopers live.

When Tammy saw the police, she walked over to them and was told that the police were there for her - she was handcuffed and put in the back of the police car. She was forced to wear an orange jumpsuit and was thrown in jail, where she stayed for 18 hours.

According to From the Trenches, "The charges against her were eventually dropped but she still describes the ordeal as humiliating and said her children were even questioned by police and terrified." Her daughter was clutching on to the police officer's leg begging him to let her mother go.

Unless there is more to this story, the actions of the police officers are shameful. Did the neighbor have legitimate concerns? Clearly not, as the case was dropped. Did the neighbor even bother to speak with Cooper before she called the police?

There are some conflicting accounts, as the Examiner reports that Tammy Cooper was watching from her window, and that a neighbor, Shelley Fuller, "called the La Porte Police Department to report that the children had been abandoned." Fuller allegedly told police that one of the children was hit by a car; however, "no medical response was called for or needed as it was obvious that neither child had been hit by a car or was hurt in any way."

"I was out there the entire time," Cooper said. "I never left that lawn chair the entire time."

Watch the news story here: