Posted on 02/07/2005 6:00:38 AM PST by Ellesu
SAND LAKE -- A four-year-old child is safe after taking a spin in his Mother's car, driving just under 10 miles an hour down Northland Drive in Sand Lake.
The child driver made it a quarter of a mile to the video store, but because it was dark, he decided to head home. When police spotted the car, they didn't see anyone behind the wheel.
After spotting the car, Sand Lake Police Chief Doug Heugel said the car did something that made the officers think something wasn't quite right.
"The car pulled into the apartment complex just south of town and hit a parked car on the way in, and it came to a stop." said the Chief.
Audrey Ellis lives across the hall from the four-year-old. "He really hit my car and pulled my bumper halfway off of it," she told FOX 17 News At Ten.
When the child stopped the car, he was on the grass, only a few feet away from an apartment.
"The cruiser pulled behind the car. The officers started to get out of the car and the car went into reverse and rammed into the cruiser," said Chief Huegel.
A neighbor ran to the mother's apartment. Chief Heugel said the mother had no idea the child was even gone because she had been asleep.
The little boy caused about $600 in damage to the police car, a couple hundred dollars to Ellis' car, and also scratched another car parked in the complex.
And this isn't the child's first time behind the wheel of a car.
"The mom said that son had tried to drive the car once before and she'd stopped him, but she also let him sit in her lap while she's driving, so he learned from mom," said Chief Heugel.
Neighbor Ellis has mixed emotions.
"I'm mad but I'm not... why be mad at a four-year-old? It wasn't his fault...it wasn't his parents fault...he snuck out, that's what happened," said Ellis.
We tried to talk to the mother of the four-year-old but she wasn't home. There will be no charges against her.
Way to grab life by the horns, kid.
"I'm mad but I'm not... why be mad at a four-year-old? It wasn't his fault...it wasn't his parents fault....
Bush's fault.
No? How about if he'd killed someone? Would it still be nobody's fault?
"When he was young and irresponsible...he was young and irresponsible!"
Maybe they should invent something to stop this.... maybe KEYS would do it.
shocker
A 4 year old at the wheel is safer than Ted Kennedy.
He must have had the KEYS to start the car! He knew how to use them and he did!......
So who was supervising the kid?
When I was five, my two year old brother was going somewhere with my mom. She started the car and realized she forgot something. As she ran in the house, she left the car running and the door open. My brother dropped the car into reverse, hit the gate and bent it up, hit the house and tore the door off the car, hit a shrub and worst of all ran over my tricycle. My mom jumped in as he was driving up my next door neighbors driveway.
My dad's not much of a mechanic, but he insisted on putting the door back on himself. The noises coming out of the garage for the next two days were pretty scary.
Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."
The kid is lucky to be alive. Cops have killed people for doing something like this.
Mother was home but sleeping; I think they were referring to trying later to interview the mother. More great newspaper writing.
I think they meant that the mother was not home when the reporter tried to speak with her. At the time of the incident, the mother was home and asleep.
The article doesn't say what time the incident happened, but the video store was (apparently) closed. Mine are open until at least 10 or midnight. Mom may have put the kid to bed and gone to sleep herself.
Mom should hide the car keys and put a keyed deadbolt on the doors if she has a lick of common sense.
-----When police spotted the car, they didn't see anyone behind the wheel.
After spotting the car, Sand Lake Police Chief Doug Heugel said the car did something that made the officers think something wasn't quite right.
"The car pulled into the apartment complex just south of town and hit a parked car on the way in-----
It apparently wasn't the driverless car that piqued the officers' curiosity but the fact that it hit another vehicle that caused them to investigate.
Did the author of this story even read it before it was sent to print?
True!
When my twin daughters were that age, I was scared to close my eyes unless the safety chains were latched!
Well...duhhh! You can't ticket the driver when there is none. ;-)
Here in Joisy that is not a prerequisite. They can simply mail you the ticket.
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