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Texas mom sues police after arrest for allowing kids to play outside

Laura Byrne Contributor
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Police arrested a Texas mom for allowing her children to play outside last week, after a neighbor reported to police that the kids were riding scooters around a cul de sac.

Tammy Cooper, who was arrested for child endangerment, insists she was watching her children from a lawn chair in her front yard.

Now, Cooper is suing the La Porte Police Department, the arresting officer and the neighbor who made the call.

A few hours after the neighbor called police, a La Porte policeman showed up to the scene of the “crime” to arrest Cooper.

“I went out there to see what he was here for and he said, ‘Ma’am, we’re here for you.’ I said, ‘Oh really? Why?’ He proceeded to tell me he had received a call from one of my neighbors that my kids were riding their scooters unsupervised”, Cooper told KRPC.

Cooper spent a night in jail before she was released.

“Orange jumpsuit, in a cell, slammed the door, for 18 hours,” Cooper recalled.

Charges were dropped but now Cooper is suing for damages, $7,000 in legal fees.

According to Cooper, the police also interrogated her children.

Cooper told KRPC, “My daughter had him [the police officer] around the leg saying, “Please, please don’t take my mom to jail. Please, she didn’t do anything wrong'”.

Cooper also reported that she now feels awkward around her neighbor. The neighbor had no comment.