Sioux City Journal

Sioux Center woman arrested after kids blown off trailer

2:20 PM

By Dolly A. Butz
dbutz@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008

ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- A rural Sioux Center woman was arrested Saturday on a felony charge of child endangerment in connection with an Oct. 4 traffic accident that injured her two grandchildren.

Glenda Vermeer, 53, was also charged with failure to report a personal injury accident, a serious misdemeanor.

The Sioux County Sheriff's Office said in a statement today that it was notified Saturday about a possible child endangerment situation that occurred one week earlier near Sioux Center.

At 2 p.m. Oct. 4, Vermeer was eastbound on 400th Street in a 1998 Dodge Dakota pickup, pulling a flatbed trailer. Her grandchildren, ages 4 and 7, were sitting on a mattress on the trailer and were apparently blown off of it, according to the sheriff's office. The children, who landed on the opposite side of the roadway, suffered minor injuries. Vermeer took them to the Sioux Center Hospital for treatment shortly after the accident, the sheriff's office said.

Story Comments

ced wrote on Oct 21, 2008 9:37 PM:

" Ok. I thought the folks in Sioux County had more common sense than to charge this woman with a crime for such an unfortunate accident. Yes, hindsight would tell us it wasn't such a good idea. But, had there not been an accident, the kids would have thought it was a ton of fun. It's not like she is ever going to do anything like this again and there certainly wasn't an bad intention. Bad judgment shouldn't be considered a crime. Let's not complicated her bad judgment for more bad judgment by making her a criminal. Unless there is a lot more to this story than we've been told, it was just unfortunate and nothing more. "

Mama_nurse wrote on Oct 19, 2008 8:24 PM:

" Glenda loves those boys more than any of you can fathom. She would do anything for those boys, or for that matter, any one of you who are so quick to jump in and attack her. Right next to this article about Glenda was an article about someone being charged with child endangerment for shaking a child and causing injury injury. Now that is child endangerment........a wilful, purposeful action. Glenda's was a bad choice,that was made with the idea of fun for those boys. Don't any of you throw stones, for I am sure that in one way or another you have all done something you regret terribly in your life. Instead of beating her up, pray for her. She is devastated by all of this. So are we, those who love her and cherish her and her family. "

To City Boy wrote on Oct 17, 2008 10:00 PM:

" Wow...You really need to get out more. If that is how you think of people who live a whole hour outside of our BIG METROPOLIS (haha) I think that you might be the least cultured person inside the City limits! "

Vicki Altena wrote on Oct 16, 2008 8:58 PM:

" To all of you who are so quick to pass judgement and make fun of Glenda I ask the question, have any of you ever done something you have regretted or wished you could do over differently? If you are honest I believe that we all would say yes. If you knew this lady you would never say such hurtful, condemning things. She actually would lay down her life for you, even though you riducule her for what happened. Why would she do that? Because she loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength and she loves her neighbor (you)more than she loves herself. That my friends is hard to find these days. So watch what you say about people, you never know when it might be you needing a little or a lot of grace. "

City Boy wrote on Oct 16, 2008 3:33 PM:

" Ya'all cain't change dem farmers now... If it ain't on a hoof or has more than three toes, it is merely a liability. Just another non-productive mouth to feed. "