Pregnant mom says she was ticketed over toddler's potty emergency

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A pregnant South Carolina mom says she was cited after her 3-year-old son relieved himself in a Georgia gas station parking lot.

According to WRDW-TV, Brooke Johns of Beech Island, South Carolina, said she was driving in Augusta last month when her son, Cohen, said he had to use the potty right away. She quickly stopped at a gas station and, fearing they wouldn't reach the bathroom in time, tried to cover Cohen while he relieved himself outside.

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According to WRDW-TV: "He's like, 'Mom, I've got to pee. I've got to pee!' I was like, 'Well, hold on,' and he's like, 'No! I've GOT to pee! I've got to REALLY pee.' And I'm like, 'Baby, there's nowhere for me to go, and he says, 'Momma, I'm about to pee in my pants!" Brooke said.

Brooke said they barely made it to a gas station parking lot before she realized they wouldn’t be able to make it inside.

That's when a Richmond County sheriff's deputy ticketed her for disorderly conduct, Johns told WRDW.

"I observed the male's genitals and the urination," the deputy wrote on the citation. "Public restrooms are offered."

>> See the citation here

When asked about the citation, the Sheriff's Office pointed to an ordinance against "any person who damages, befouls or disturbs public property or the property of another so as to create a hazardous, unhealthy or physically offensive condition."

Johns, whose daughter is due in May, is scheduled to appear in court April 30. If found guilty, she could face a $1,000 fine and 60 days in jail, WRDW reported.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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