An Illinois man currently faces a drunk driving charge after police said he consumed alcohol and then drove while his children were in the back seat of his car. The incident occurred early in the morning on a recent Sunday. The 32-year-old man is facing charges for DUI (two counts) and endangering the life of a child (two counts).
According to authorities, a police officer saw a car breach the double yellow line of a roadway shortly before 2:50 a.m. As the car kept going, they report that the vehicle breached the line a few more times. That is when police stopped the car, at which point it ended up on a curb. When police approached the car, they allegedly saw the man stick his hands out of it, which they took as a sign that he was ready to be arrested.
Police said they spotted his two sons, ages 12 and 2, in the back passenger seat. When the man got out of his car, his speech was reportedly slurred, and his eyes were bloodshot. He also allegedly moved from one side to another, struggling to stand. A Breathalyzer test reportedly revealed a blood alcohol level of .16, which is double the legal limit in Illinois.
The man may naturally be worried about the consequences he will face if convicted — for example, time behind bars, possible limitation of parental rights and even the potential loss of a job. However, he has the right to aggressively fight the DUI and endangering charges at trial, where prosecutors have to prove them beyond a reasonable doubt. An attorney can scrutinize the administration of the Breathalyzer test and address any legal challenges in court, all the while focused on achieving the best result attainable.
Source: abc7chicago.com, “Police: Man charged with DUI with 2 children sleeping in back seat“, Dec. 25, 2017