It's a tough battle for parents accused of drunk driving with their kids in the car, but it's a battle worth fighting. Wisconsin law applies serious consequences when a person is convicted of DUI while kids are in the vehicle, and one mother in Milwaukee is up against such a charge.
The 24-year-old mother was reportedly pulled over for having an expired tag on her license plate. The traffic stop happened at about 11:45 p.m. on March 18, and a deputy with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office claims to have smelled alcohol upon contacting the driver.
A 26-year-old woman and four children were also in the vehicle. Two of the kids are the driver's, and two are the passenger's. The passenger and her children were taken away from the scene, but the driver and her kids remained.
She was given a blood-alcohol test at some point, with a result of 0.26 percent. The young mother was arrested, and her children were picked up by Child Protective Services. Family members of the mother were reportedly not available at the time.
Unfortunately, the accused mother in this case is also up against a charge of violating probation. She was previously arrested for alleged drug trafficking and child neglect.
This kind of incident is often an eye-opener for young defendants. When children's futures are involved, it's important that parents do what is legally in their power to protect their rights and freedom. That means mounting a strong criminal defense by carefully analyzing the claims of prosecutors and police officers. In any case, defendants should not let prosecutors simply have their way.
Source: cbs58.com, "Milwaukee mom caught drunk driving with four kids in car," Chris Patterson, March 19, 2013