Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara will appear in court later this month after hitting a Jamaica Plain home in a crash that injured her 7-year-old son, who police say was not secured in a booster seat.
The West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court confirmed an open hearing for Lara was scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 19. The court did not immediately give any other details.
Lara acknowledged on Friday, June 30, that her child required stitches after a crash earlier that day. An incident report from the Boston Police Department redacted her name, but police confirmed the crash on Centre Street was the only one in the area that day.
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The car hit a fence before crashing into the house, "causing significant damage," according to police. Lara told officers another car had pulled out in front of her and she swerved to avoid hitting it, but was unable to brake fast enough.
The man in the other car told police that he was barely out of the spot, then stopped when he saw a car speeding behind him. Witnesses told NBC10 Boston that they saw the car driving at a high speed.
Police found that Lara was allegedly driving an unregistered, uninsured car with a revoked license, according to the report.
The Boston Police Department filed a 51A report with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families "due to neglect and failure to use a proper car seat for the child's safety," police said in their report.
A 51A report is filed with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families if a person is accused of child abuse or neglect, according to the state's website.
A spokesperson with the DCF told NBC10 Boston it does not provide specifics on cases due to state and federal privacy requirements.
Lara has not been arrested in the crash, but if probable cause is found at the hearing, the case will be set up for arraignment.
Citing Lara's crash and Councilor Ricardo Arroyo's recent admission of an ethics violation for representing his brother in a sexual harassment lawsuit, City Council President Ed Flynn spoke out this week about "ethical and legal lapses" on the body.
"We're not living up to that high bar that we should be meeting," Flynn told NBC10 Boston Wednesday.
Some of Lara's constituents have also raised concerns.
"I think the comment I made to my wife was, 'Someone's going to be resigning soon,'" Rick Bornstein told NBC10 Boston. "It shows poor judgment and she probably should resign."
"It's concerning, and if she needs help, I want her to get that help, because I think she's done a good job so far," Susan Caron said. "I think a lot of people are probably using this as an excuse to not support Kendra."
Lara's office declined NBC10 Boston's request for comment earlier this week.
