An East Tennessee grandfather has been charged with endangerment after police said they stopped him while he was driving, drinking and holding his grandson in his arms.
Fred Campbell was stopped because his van had a broken tail light. The station says surveillance video then shows the driver exit the van holding a 2-year-old right before he was stopped by police.
Collegedale police said the man tested .13% on a breath test, which is about 1 1/2 times the legal limit. Police said the man told officers the boy had been riding in his lap and that he had drunk six or seven beers, including one that was half-full and still cold inside the vehicle.
The man was charged with the equivelant of a Los Angeles DUI, reckless endangerment and probation violation.
This case brings attention to the concern over child endangerment while driving under the influence.
This arrest report brings attention to a growing concern over the problem of child endangerment through driving under the influence. New York recently passed legislation that makes drunken driving with a child under 16 years of age in the car an automatic felony. Other states use aggravated charges if a child is in the car. Tennessee does not have a DUI with child bill currently, but events like this lead many to say one is needed in order to shed light on the severity of the offense.
In Los Angeles, a driver who has children under 14 years old in the vehicle at the time of arrest risks a sentencing enhancement and/or a child endangerment charge. If proven, the allegation can bring additional jail time and other severe penalties.
The additional jail time for driving drunk with children in the car is 48 hours for a first offense of this nature, 10 days for a second offense, 30 days for a third offense, and 90 days for a fourth offense.
If you have been accused of a Los Angeles DUI and/or child endangerment, you need an experienced Los Angeles DUI defense attorney team on your side to avoid these severe consequences. The knowledgeable and dedicated Los Angeles DUI defense attorney team at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP has more than 50 years of courtroom experience and can help devise a strategy that can help you reduce the consequences of a DUI or have the charges completely dropped.
Immediately following a Los Angeles DUI arrest, you should contact us at 1-877-781-1570 or visit our website at www.keglawyers.com for more information on DUI, child endangerment and how we can help you if you've been accused of either.
