Junk in the Trunk

Grandparents arrested for putting child in trunk JEFFERSON CITY, MO (5/7/2013) — A Fulton couple was arrested this weekend in Jefferson City for putting their grandchild in the trunk of their car. Police reports show at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to Menards, 805 Stone Creek Drive, for a child endangerment call. According to the caller, she heard a voice from within the trunk of a car that had pulled into the lot and what sounded like a child's voice frantically yelling, “Let me out!” The caller observed a couple exit the vehicle then open the trunk, at which point a 5-year-old girl climbed out. Officers responded and made contact with the suspects, Marc and Mary Vaucher of Fulton who admitted purchasing two tables at another location and not having enough room to place the tables in the trunk so they opted to place their granddaughter in the trunk to allow for transport. The Vauchers were arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and the child, who was unharmed, was released to another family member's custody. As of Monday afternoon, formal charges against the Vauchers had not been filed. I feel for that girl, but at least it wasn’t AUGUST! Back in my younger days, as the “one with the car,” I would transport other guys into the drive-in movie in the trunk of my car. If you didn’t have the cash, you rode in the trunk to get in. But my favorite trunk story came at an auto body shop. I was rear-ended, so I took my car out to Eddie Gray’s, a respected Jefferson City shop. I was an all too frequent customer of Eddie, who always did an acceptable job — except once. After a rain, I noticed my trunk was wet, so I took the car back to Eddie’s. “Jimmy, come here,” shouted a man who had just grabbed a water hose from the wall of the garage. A small man approached, saw the hose and the open trunk lid, and began to scowl. He looked right at the man with the hose and said, “This better not be like last time. Or I’ll kick out the taillights and it will come out of your pay!” Apparently being the smallest guy in the body shop automatically makes you the trunk-leak-checker. Jimmy got in my trunk, the lid was closed, water applied, he knocked, the lid was open and he said, “New seal.” All in about five seconds. A very fast diagnosis!