Drunk Man Gets Arrested for Letting 11-Year-Old Nephew Drive Him Home

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A drunk man tried to avoid getting arrested by having his 11-year-old nephew drive his car.

People who witnessed the car being driven erratically had called police, who caught up with it and saw a child in the driver’s seat and a man slumped over in the passenger’s seat. The man was the child’s 29-year-old uncle and was obviously drunk, according to police, with an open beer in his hand. He was also high on methamphetamine. The police said they found what looked like a gun between the passenger seat and the door, but it turned out to be fake, reported CBS Los Angeles.

“The kid did not know how to drive a car. It was driving real reckless,” said a Port Hueneme policeman, via CBS.

The child was propped up on some clothing so he could reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. He initially told police his uncle was giving him driving lessons, but then admitted the uncle was too drunk to drive.

Genoro Lopez said he let his nephew drive so that he could avoid getting arrested again, but that plan didn’t work out for him. He was previously arrested for drunk driving in May. He also had a warrant for driving without a license.

“He put his nephew in danger, who did not know how to drive a vehicle. He put the public in danger just because of his own stupidity,” said the police officer.

Lopez was charged with felony child endangerment and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, along with a misdemeanor for the warrant. Bail was set at $50,000.