It’s amazing how a single factor in a situation can alter the outcome of a situation is a major way. For example, if you get pulled over after having a few drinks, you’re likely to end up facing a DUI charge. But if you get pulled over after a few drinks and the officer discovers that you’ve got an unlicensed gun on the passenger seat of your car, it’s a game changer. Suddenly you’re a potential threat in a way that wasn’t part of the equation before. It changes the way you’ll be treated by the cops, the charges you’ll face, and the possible sentence you’ll face.
The same goes for having kids with you when you break the law!
Being pulled over for drunk driving isn’t great, by any means. But being pulled over for drunk driving when you have kids in the car is a whole lot more complicated. If you get into trouble with the cops and you have children with you at the time, everything changes. CPS gets called. If they’re your kids there’s a chance you’ll lose them (at least temporarily). You may have to jump through CPS hoops to get them back, or worse – fight your way through a lengthy legal battle just to keep your parental rights. And you’re probably going to face additional criminal charges as well!
One Michigan mom found that out recently in Huron County
A 40-year-old mom from Oxford in Oakland County recently discovered just how bad things can get when your kids get caught up in your bad choices. The woman was apparently headed for Bad Axe with her two kids at quarter to two in the morning, when she stopped at a gas station in the Capac area, asking for directions. Once she knew where she was headed, she jumped back into the car and took off, heading west on Interstate 69. However someone at the gas station where she’d pulled over noticed that she seemed intoxicated, and called 911 with her info.
It didn’t take the cops long to find her on the highway…
Lapeer County Sheriff’s deputies were quickly able to locate the woman’s gray Pontiac G6 as she exited the freeway at M-53 in Imlay City. A deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the woman was having none of it. She sped off, leading the officer on a short but high speed chase through Imlay City, before the deputy noticed that there were children in the vehicle. He stopped his pursuit in the hopes of getting the woman to slow down and reduce the danger to her children, but the mom didn’t slow down until she finally crashed her car into a ditch, where the officer found her.
Making bad choices that impact your kids makes everything so much worse!
Taking drugs will get you into trouble, but taking drugs while you’re caring for vulnerable kids can land you in a world of hurt. Same goes for drunk driving, getting into domestic altercations, and anything else that could put a child at risk in any way. Kids are vulnerable and can’t protect themselves, so their caregivers need to make good, unselfish choices that keep them safe. Join us next time for a look at what happens next in this case. And until then, if you’ve been accused of endangering a child, or CPS has contacted you about allegations against you, call 866 766 5245 right now and get help from mid-Michigan’s premier CPS defense attorneys.