Police: Couple Drove With Children In Trunk

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- A couple is accused of driving about eight miles with two of five children in the trunk of their car because they said there wasn't room for them in the back seat.

Jerrod Griffin Sr., 32, and Khonda Griffin, 29, were each charged with neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony.

Police said that a neighbor called them at about 4:20 p.m. Friday to report that the Griffins (pictured) put two children in the trunk of a Pontiac Grand Am and drove away.

"It's extremely dangerous," said Hamilton County sheriff's Deputy Vicky Dunbar. "If their vehicle had been rear-ended by another vehicle, the crash into the trunk would have severely injured them. The fact that they're unsecured, unrestrained ... makes them kind of like a projectile."

When police arrived at a mobile home park where the Griffins live, the couple was not home, officers said.

The parents were found home on Saturday afternoon, along with their five children, between the ages of 8 months and 9 years.

According to police, the Griffins said that three of their children were asleep in the back seat of the car and that their 9- and 4-year-old children were put in the trunk because there was no room for them.

The couple told police the incident was a one-time occurrence and that they know what happened was wrong, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

The children were taken into protective custody. The couple posted $10,000 bond each on Saturday night.

Neighbor Leslie Gaunce told 6News that the Griffins are good parents who just made a mistake.

"She's really upset. She cries and everything," Gaunce said. "Their vans are broke down."

The Griffins could each face up to three years in prison if found guilty on neglect charges.