Charges dropped against mom whose 3-year-old child peed in gas station parking lot

The mother who was cited in March because her toddler could not make it to the bathroom on time will not face a $5,000 fine and 60 days in jail after all.

Charges were dropped by the Georgia state representative on Thursday when Brooke Johns appeared in court to plead her case: a toilet-training accident.

"This is one of those things where you take a look at the law, and sometimes in the spirit of things, it doesn't fit," said lawyer Ben Allen, the state's representative, at Johns' court appearance Thursday.

Johns, then eight months pregnant, had been driving through Georgia when her 3-year-old son piped up from the backseat that he had to go. She pulled over at a gas station and convenience store and attempted to get him to the bathroom.

But the state's representative injected some sense into the proceedings on Thursday, Johns' second court appearance on this matter.

Sometimes, he said, people are forced to do something that is "out of character but is the right thing to do."

Such was not the case in April, when Johns appeared in court for the first time, by then at nine months pregnant. The case was continued after she pleaded not guilty and the Johns' attorney filed a motion for discovery, reported WRDW at the time.

"She allowed her male child to urinate in the parking lot," the diligent deputy T. Beasley jotted on the ticket. "I observed the male's genitals and the urination. Public restrooms are offered at the location."

"He was peeing before his pants were even all the way down, so obviously he had to go," Johns said, according to WRDW. "Accidents happen."

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