first published Thursday, November 15, 2007

A police officer checking on a truck that got stuck in the mud at a city park was startled to find a 13-year-old boy behind the wheel. The boy’s father, who was sitting in the passenger seat, told police he had had too much to drink and let his son drive. The boy had been drinking, too, police said.

“(The boy) even said he didn’t want to drive because he was too drunk,” McLellan told The Flint Journal for a story published Thursday.

Open containers of beer and liquor were found in the vehicle, said Clio Police Chief James McLellan.

The father, a 41-year-old Flint-area man, is facing several misdemeanor counts, including child endangerment, allowing an intoxicated person to drive his vehicle and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive, police said.

The boy has been petitioned into juvenile court on charges that include driving while intoxicated, police said.

The two were arrested Nov. 8. They apparently were trying to get home when they turned into the park to turn around. The truck rolled off the pavement and became stuck in the muddy soil.

Missouri DWI Attorneys

Lee’s Summit 18-year-old passenger in hospital with critical injuries

A Greenwood, Mo., teenager was allegedly drunk and speeding when the car he was driving crashed last month, leaving a Lee’s Summit teenager in critical condition.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 2. According to the Lee’s Summit Police Department, a 19-year-old was driving a 1998 Honda Civic northbound on Forestpark when the vehicle struck the curb and left the roadway on the west side before striking a rock wall and overturning.

The front seat passenger, 18-year-old Roberto Suarez, of Lee’s Summit, was ejected during the crash and was later located 20 to 30 feet from the vehicle. Initial LSPD reports stated Suarez’s injuries were life-threatening. According to a LSPD report released Thursday, Suarez is still listed in critical condition in the ICU of a metro-area hospital.

Another passenger, 19-year-old also was ejected and suffered a concussion and a severe laceration to the head.

On Wednesday, police issued warrants for the driver for two counts of second-degree assault for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (DWI), resulting in injury. That offense is a Class C felony. The driver also was charged with leaving the scene of the crash, a Class D felony. More >>

Missouri DWI Attorney