Breastfeeding mother charged with careless driving, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child

The Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney's office charged a Joplin woman with careless and imprudent driving and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child following a September 19 Joplin Police Department traffic stop.

The allegations against Quanita R. Prince (DOB 1991) were spelled out in the probable cause statement:

On 09/19/2024, I stopped a White Mitsubishi Outlander for driving with no headlights, making an illegal U-turn, into oncoming traffic, and a wide right turn, at an intersection in Joplin, Missouri, Jasper County. 

After I stopped the vehicle, I approached and contacted the driver Quanita Prince, who was actively breastfeeding V1 and was unrestrained, while V2 was asleep, face down, in the passenger seat unrestrained. 

I asked Prince why the children were unrestrained, which she did not have an answer for. She stated that she was lost and did not realize that she was driving the way she was.