Mother accused of trying to set fire to car with son inside

Sherrie Richter

A mother is accused of trying to torch a car with her 11-year-old son bound and locked inside at a southeast Michigan cemetery.

The Monroe County sheriff's office says 48-year-old Sherrie Richter was arraigned Thursday on assault with intent to murder and arson charges.

The sheriff's office said preliminary investigations show Richter bound the boy's wrists, locked him inside the car and tried to set two fires in the vehicle at Roselawn Memorial Park, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of the Ohio state line.

She then freed the boy. The mother and son were later found walking in the cemetery.

The boy was taken to a hospital as a precaution and released.

Richter, of Frenchtown Township, is jailed on a $100,000 bond. She has requested a court-appointed attorney.