Drunk Grandparents Busted for Towing Child in Toy Car
In what may be the most egregious example of bad babysitting ever, a pair of grandparents were arrested on Sunday for drunk driving and child endangerment after police found them towing a seven-year-old-girl in a Hot Wheels car behind their SUV. Seems like something for the 'Jackass' crew, not the grade-school set, doesn't it?
According to police, the vehicle was driving down a service road in Sarasota, FL, at 5-10 mph while the toy car, which was attached to the SUV by two dog leashes, was towed behind.
Cops found 49-year-old Paul Berloni, the girl's grandfather, at the wheel reportedly intoxicated. When Berloni refused to take a sobriety test, he was arrested. Later, authorities discovered that Berloni had three prior convictions for drinking and driving. (Shocker!)
The girl's 47-year-old grandmother, Belinda Berloni, who had been cheering the girl from the open back hatch of the SUV, was also arrested. She admitted to police that dragging the girl behind the car was dangerous, but that they were having fun and had actually been doing it all day. (Yeah! Cops can be such killjoys sometimes.)
Both grandparents face child endangerment charges and Paul Berloni faces an additional charge of driving under the influence. Hey, at least they didn't take her to a tanning salon afterwards.