A six year old struggled to carry a 26 pound water case during a delivery, and his mother’s response was caught on a stranger’s Ring camera

Kiah Lowery, 36, is facing a felony child abuse charge after an incident involving her six year old son during an Instacart delivery on May 31. The encounter was recorded by a customer’s Ring camera at an apartment complex in St Augustine, Florida, as detailed by the Daily Mail. The footage shows the boy, who weighed approximately 49 pounds, struggling to carry a 24 pack of bottled water weighing 26 pounds.

In the video, the child can be heard grunting and saying he could not hold the case before his arms gave out and he dropped it. That moment prompted an immediate reaction from Lowery, who pursued the child as he retreated and allegedly slapped him in the face. The audio reportedly captured her screaming insults at the boy and demanding he pick the case back up and carry it.

Detectives reviewing the footage also noted she used additional derogatory language toward the child during the encounter. According to the arrest warrant, officers determined that Lowery had created a severe physical imbalance for the boy, who was unable to perform the task he had been assigned.

Mother faces felony charge while child remains separated from her under court order

Lowery was arrested earlier this month by the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office after the customer who captured the footage reported her behavior. Speaking with police, she claimed her son had been “defiant” while she was completing three separate delivery orders at the complex, and she later apologized, describing the incident as an “over stimulated moment.” She has not yet entered a plea in the case.

She was booked into the St Johns County Jail following her arrest but was released after posting a $5,000 bond. As a condition of her release, she is barred from contacting or seeing her child and must stay at least 500 feet away from him, with an electronic monitoring system in place to enforce the restriction. Reports of parents bringing children along on gig delivery jobs have drawn attention before, including a separate hotel livestream incident involving an adult misusing access to film unsuspecting strangers.

Lowery is scheduled for a felony arraignment at the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida on July 7, where she will appear before Judge Christopher Ferebee. She does not appear to have retained an attorney as of this report. Other recent cases involving parental neglect have also pushed lawmakers toward action, including a push for tougher sentencing in a separate state following the death of a young child.

Instacart has condemned the behavior shown in the video as completely unacceptable and said it has permanently removed Lowery from its platform. The company stated it has a zero tolerance policy for violence and strict rules barring shoppers from bringing other individuals, including children, on deliveries without a valid shopper account. Authorities have not released details regarding the current custody arrangements for the child.