Taquanda Roberts reacts at her detention hearing.
An Atlantic City woman who allegedly endangered her children and crashed into a car with a family inside fleeing the repo man was released from jail this week.
Taquanda Roberts, 32, is accused of child endangerment, eluding and criminal mischief, after she got into the 2014 white Ford wagon that was being repossessed and then ordered her two young children inside before taking off again and crashing into a car with four children inside.
A police officer who responded to an argument between Roberts and the tow truck driver at about 1:30 p.m. on July 4, ordered Roberts out of the vehicle before she took off, according to the charges.
Roberts crashed onto the sidewalk, and then ordered her two children who were in the playground to get in the car, Assistant Prosecutor Erin Curtiss told the judge during a detention hearing Wednesday.
Other children were playing in the area and endangered by th
She then took off at a high rate of speed across a parking lot when she struck the vehicle with a family inside and fled, Curtiss said. She was later arrested inside a casino.
It was not clear if the children ran with her.
"It seems very clear this is aberrational conduct for Ms Roberts," public defender Lauren Musarra told the judge. "I speculate there was some stressor."
She pointed to the car being repossessed, saying it was not an excuse, "but can certainly add or contribute to a stressful situation."
Musarra pointed to Roberts' lack of criminal record and that she is employed as a clinical clerk at Preferred Care in Absecon.
She has three children, ages 6, 8 and 12. It was not clear which child was not at the scene.
Judge Donna Taylor agreed that there could be conditions put in place to release Roberts.
She is now on Level 2 monitoring, and required check in with the court twice a month: once in person and once by telephone.
