New Bedford Mom Dumps Son On Road, Speeds Off: Police

MATTAPOISETT, MA — Driving a stolen Lexus, a New Bedford mother dumped her 11-year-old son by the side of the road in Mattapoisett because he was acting up then led officers on a chase through a swamp with her younger son in tow, police announced Monday. Marina Johnson was charged with felony abandoning a child and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

Police said the incident happened Friday. At about 8:45 p.m., a Mattapoisett Neck Road resident said the 11-year-old boy knocked on his door and was crying as he asked for a ride to New Bedford.

"He told the officers that his mother was very mad at him because she said he always 'acts up,'" police said in a statement. "He stated that his mother told him to get out of the car, which he did, then she told him to shut the door, which he did. That is when he said that his mother sped off. The young boy reported that he tried to catch up to the car but it was going too fast."

Police said they tracked Johnson to a New Bedford shelter where she was staying. Officers said they found the stolen Lexus she was driving and then saw Johnson flee with her 8-year-old son on foot. She was taken into custody in a swamp in knee-deep mud.

Johnson pleaded not guilty in Wareham District Court and was held on $25,000 bail. Her children were placed in state custody.

Photo: Marina Johnson. (Credit: Mattapoisett Police Department)