Twin Cities boy rides in trunk, aunt facing charges

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Twin Cities woman accused of having her nephew ride in the trunk of her Lexus is charged with child endangerment.

A criminal complaint says Susan Marie McCarty picked up her nephew at a Shakopee amusement park last month. Witnesses saw the 11-year-old boy climb into the trunk and wrote down the car's license number.

The complaint says the 38-year-old Edina woman told police her nephew had gone on a water ride and she didn't want him to drip water on the car's leather seats, so she had him ride in the trunk with the back seat console folded down. The boy's grandmother and 14-year-old sister were also in the car, but didn't question the aunt's decision.

McCarty tells the Star Tribune she would never purposely put her family in danger.

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