Pittsburgh Woman Faces Child Endangerment Charges for Driving Drunk with Four Children in the Car
Before you bring a newborn baby home from the hospital, the hospital staff ensures that you have the infant safety seat installed properly in the car. Installing child car seats can be a source of anxiety for first-time parents; every time the child outgrows one seat, they must figure out how to configure the next seat. They live with the worry that they could get in trouble for not having the seat installed properly. Citations for errors in child car seat installation are probably rare, as are citations for transporting a toddler whose legs dangle from the rear-facing seat he has ridden in since he was much younger, simply because you have not found the time or money to get a new car seat. You can, however, get child endangerment charges if you transport a child without a seatbelt or an infant or toddler without a car seat. If you get pulled over for DUI or the police find drugs in your car and there are children in the car with you, then child endangerment charges are a real possibility. If you are facing DUI charges, and there was a child in the car during the traffic stop, contact a Pennsylvania DUI defense lawyer.
Minor Offenses Become Major Problems When Children Are Present
In Pennsylvania, you can get criminal charges for child endangerment if your actions put children’s safety at risk when the children are in your care. You can still be convicted of child endangerment, even if the child did not get injured. Many drug possession cases also include child endangerment charges if the defendant had children with him or her in the house or car where the drugs were found. DUI charges almost always get child endangerment added to them if the defendant was driving drunk while a child was in the car. In addition to criminal penalties, a child endangerment conviction could mean that the family courts order you to have supervised parenting time, which means that you can’t be alone with your own children. Parents with supervised parenting time must have another adult present, sometimes a family member and sometimes a court-appointed professional, when they are with their children.
In the News
In June 2020, police pulled over Lakisha Borner of Pittsburgh for traffic violations and vehicle violations. She appeared drunk, and she refused a breathalyzer test but agreed to a blood test. The police confiscated empty beer cans and a marijuana grinder from the car. There were four children in the back seat; the youngest child was three and the oldest was six, and at least some of the children were not wearing seatbelts. Borner faces charges for DUI and child endangerment.
Contact Us Today for Help
If you are a parent and you get charged with DUI, a DUI defense lawyer can help you and your children avoid the worst consequences. Pretrial diversion and plea deals are just some of the options available to you. Contact Pittsburgh DUI defense lawyer Gary E. Gerson about your case.
Resource:
pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/06/26/pittsburgh-mother-charged-dui-endangering-children/
