An Alabama mother has been charged with felony child abuse and child cruelty after her ex-husband told police that she forced two of their daughters to take turns riding in the trunk of her car during an eight-hour trip. Cheryl Ann Schoonmaker was driving from Alabama to her ex-husband's home in Virginia with five kids, including an infant, in her sedan. According to her ex-husband Curtis Schoonmaker, the two girls, ages 8 and 10, were forced to ride in the trunk because there wasn't enough room in the car, even though they asked to be let out because of the heat.

Last month a woman in California was charged with child cruelty when a 10-year-old and 15-year-old were found in her trunk. Two weeks later, a Maryland mother was charged with reckless endangerment, after police caught her letting her three kids ride in the trunk.