Woman arrested with family dog -- and 3 kids -- in trunk of car

SEATTLE -- Mitt Romney has taken plenty of heat for the family vacation he took with his dog in a carrier on the roof of his car, but it appears a woman in Washington state has lowered the bar. Speeding down the freeway near the town of Bothell, she was arrested, along with her fiance, when state troopers found the family dog in the trunk.

Oh, and the woman’s three kids were in there too.

Officers were alerted when they stopped the car, which had been traveling at 77 mph in a 60-mph zone, and heard “a thumping sound,” Washington State Patrol spokesman Keith Leary said in a statement.

The driver, 28-year-old Anna Boyle, of Woodinville, Wash., appeared “very nervous” as officers approached the car and she fumbled through paperwork and garbage on the floor, Leary said.

Officers said they also found glass pipes, traces of methamphetamine, heroin residue and various prescription pills in the car. Asked about the odor of marijuana, Boyle admitted that she “took a few hits earlier,” the officer said.

That’s when the thumping sound was heard, he said. Troopers reported that they first thought it was the sound of bass speakers in the trunk, until one of them saw the lid of the trunk move.

When they opened it, they said, they found three children, ages 8, 7 and 5, huddled inside along with the family dog, a Chihuahua.

It couldn’t have been comfortable. Troopers noted in their report that the car was a heat-absorbing black color and bathed “in full sunshine.” The children reportedly told police that they hadn’t eaten since the day before, and one of the officers left the scene to buy some chicken sandwiches at a nearby McDonald’s -- before handing the children over to Child Protective Services.

Boyle reportedly told authorities that the children had crawled into the trunk of their own accord through an opening in the back seat. But a photo released with the arrest statement shows the back seat piled with bags, a snowboard and a guitar.

“The trooper does not know how it could be possible they were ever in the front, as there were so many items and no car seats for one, let alone three, kids,” the statement said.

Boyle and her fiance, identified as Aaron Johnson, 27, were arrested on drug charges. Prosecutors said they were also considering the possibility of child-endangerment charges.

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