The mother of an 8-year-old boy caught driving the wrong way was found passed out in the backseat of the car, Police in St. Louis said.
Officers pulled over a car traveling west in the eastbound lanes near the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis on Monday and were surprised to find out that the driver was a young child.
The driver’s 28-year-old mother, Latonya Mayes-Gale, was passed out in the backseat of the vehicle, police said.
A 3-year-old toddler was also found inside the car, not strapped in a car seat; Police said Mayes-Gale asked the boy to take the wheel so she could get more comfort in the back.
She was arrested on two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and was since released on bond.
Prosecutors alleged that substance use was involved in the incident while Mayes-Gale’s attorney cited stress and mental health issues.
