An Indiana woman who transported 2-month-old babies in a milk crate affixed to a bicycle was sentenced Monday to one year in prison.
Blossum Kirby was arrested last July when employees at a pizza shop spotted the 36-year-old mom riding around Indianapolis with a boy and girl in a plastic carrier, according to WANE 15 in Fort Wayne, Ind. The children were unrestrained inside the crate, which was attached to the front of the bicycle with a bungee chord.
Several witnesses reportedly saw the suspect nearly crash the bike while she was riding. Video posted to Facebook shows a man stalling Kirby while waiting for authorities to arrive. “You can’t have have those babies in there like that,” he said.
Witnesses said Kirby struggled to stay awake and occasionally yelled while waiting for authorities. When cops arrived, Kirby allegedly explained that she didn’t have a car and saw nothing wrong with carting babies around town in a milk crate.
WANE 15 said the Indianapolis woman was also arrested in July for violating probation related to an auto theft charge.
She was found guilty of child neglect last month. The sentence handed down Monday includes a year of probation to run concurrent to her prison time.
Kirby’s babies were wearing only diapers when police confronted the suspect last summer on a day where temperatures were the mid-80s.
Both babies were reportedly treated for sunburn and minor scratches. The little girl was said to have abrasions on her left hand, while the boy had a wound to his groin and a bad rash. Police said the Department of Child Services is involved in the case.