Alabama mother runs over her 7-year-old son after school principal said he misbehaved at school

A mother in Alabama reportedly ran over her 7-year-old son with her car after making him walk home from school as punishment, according to the Independent.

Sarai Rachel James, 27, reportedly picked her son up from school on February 9 and heard from the school principal that he had misbehaved in class. She stopped her car a short distance from the school and told her son to get out and walk the rest of the way home. Reports noted that the distance between the school and the boy's house was about eight blocks.

The boy walked and jogged with his mom driving behind him with her flashers on. After the boy had run two or three blocks, she slowed down, and the child reached for the door handle to try to get back into the vehicle. But James suddenly accelerated and pulled the boy under the car. The boy was run over by the back tire, according to the Miami Herald. The boy was soon taken to a Birmingham hospital to be treated for abrasions on his back and the side of his head.

Boaz Police Department Chief Michael Abercrombie said that "it was a miracle he was not hurt worse than what he could have been."

"She may not have realized he was doing that," Abercrombie said. "God watched over him," he added.

Investigators said that they believe the mother did not mean to run over the boy, but that it was the punishment that ultimately led to him being seriously injured. As a result, James has been charged with aggravated child abuse. She was released on a $50,000 bond, and it is not clear whether she has retained an attorney in the case.

James is reportedly not to have any contact with her son. It is not clear who the boy has been staying with since the incident.

A 53-year-old woman was also in the vehicle during the incident. Reports have not identified who the woman was or whether she had any relationship with the boy. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and eventually released on a $500 bond.

It is unclear what kind of trouble the boy had been in at school that motivated his mother to carry out the punishment.

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