A 911 call from a child recently alerted police to a situation where a mother and three children were in danger. As police arrived on the scene, they were able to save the family, whose car was in a Tennessee pond. However, the incident did not end with just a rescue. The mother behind the wheel now faces criminal charges related to the incident, including DUI charges.
The incident happened on Thanksgiving morning when police got the call from a child saying the car was stuck in a field. They located the vehicle and found the 31-year-old mother had driven into a pond on private property. Authorities were able to get everyone out of the car, and the children, ages 2, 5 and 8, were wet and crying.
According to police, the mother failed a field sobriety test and smelled of alcohol. She refused a blood test. The woman has since been charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, trespassing and also aggravated child abuse. Bond was set, and she has a court date later to face the charges.
In Tennessee, DUI charges can impact a person's ability to drive, a person's finances and also a person's freedom in some cases. When children are in the car, aggravated child abuse charges can be filed also, as seems to be the situation in this case. Anyone charged in Tennessee may want to be clear about how additional charges or individual circumstances can impact a DUI case and affect the possible defense options available.
Source: wavy.com, "Mother drives into pond with three children in car in Tennessee", Nov. 28, 2015