Calls to police about an unusual situation on the roadway can lead to criminal charges against a driver. When a man left his two toddlers in the car and reportedly walked up to an off-ramp, police investigated, and DUI charges were handed down as a result. The incident unfolded on a Tennessee highway.
Police were first alerted to reports that a man was stepping into traffic just before midnight on a Monday night. When the police got to the scene, they found a man walking up an off-ramp and away from a vehicle. The man told police he was having car trouble, and he also told police he had a few drinks early that night.
Police found two kids in the vehicle, approximately three years old. Police also report the man did not pass field sobriety tests, and his speech was slurred. It was also reported that the man had red eyes and was unsteady. The man's cell phone was found in the car, and police used it to call the mother of the children, who came to get the toddlers.
The man was charged with reckless endangerment, driving without a valid license and DUI charges. DUI charges in Tennessee are taken very seriously, especially when children are in the vehicle. Anyone arrested should understand the role of field sobriety tests and the subjective nature of the tests' results. Sometimes the results can effectively be challenged in court along with the increased possible criminal consequences when children are involved in a suspected DUI incident.
Source: scrippsmedia.com, "Police: Father Left 2 Toddlers In SUV On I-65", Sept. 1, 2015