As a recovering alcoholic who has driven while intoxicated thousands of times, and having counseled thousands of individuals who also have driven in a drunken state, I never have heard of anyone using their child as a designated driver.
Shawn Weimer from Michigan thought it might be a good idea to have his 9-year-old daughter chauffer him to buy more booze and fill up at a local convenience store. It would be funny if it wasn’t so terrifyingly real.
When officers pulled over the van driven by Weimer’s 9-year-old daughter she asked the police officers, “what did you stop me for? I was driving good.”
Apparently her 39-year-old father had been bragging to convenience store employees that he had a 9-year-old designated driver. Video surveillance shows him dancing in the parking lot next to his van.
By the way, I forgot to mention that this occurred at 3AM.
Like most alcoholics, Weimer had made other stupid decisions. This was not the first time she had driven her inebriated father. She told authorities that she often drove him when he was “drinking whiskey all night.”
By the way, did I mention that he had custody of his child as the responsible parent, separated from his wife.
Weimer is facing 15 years in jail as this latest episode falls on top of a 2007 DUI.
Man, alcohol makes people do stupid things. Now this poor little girl is going to be without one or both parents for quite some time. Of course, it could have been worse...