An Illinois mother is on house arrest after her child was caught in the driver’s seat while she was unconscious in the back seat.
Latonya Mayes-Gale, 28, was charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with a traffic stop in St. Louis earlier this week that resulted in her being taken into custody, according to The Riverfront Times.
It happened at about 4 a.m. Monday morning.
St. Louis police allege that Mayes-Gale of East St. Louis was driving with her children—ages 3 and 8—when she instructed the oldest to take over, per the report. While cruising in downtown St. Louis, the child started driving in the wrong direction.
KSDK reported that a security guard initially spotted and stopped the boy behind the wheel and notified the police. Officers discovered Mayes-Gale passed out and her other child in the back without a car seat.
“Defendant couldn’t drive the motor vehicle and instructed [the 8-year-old] to drive the motor vehicle for her,” police records obtained by NBC said. “Defendant was in the rear of the motor vehicle unconscious, and Victim# 2, who is three years of age, was unsecured in the backseat.”
Mayes-Gale was accused of allowing her son to drive because she was under the influence and tired, KSDK reported. She was taken to a local hospital and booked into jail. There were no reports of any injuries.
On Tuesday, a judge approved her release on bond against the objection of prosecutors with the condition that she will stay home, according to the Times.
Mayes-Gale, a home health aide who works for an elderly grandparent, is also reportedly barred from reaching out to her children, driving, and having drugs or guns.
In court, her attorney argued that mental health and stress played a role in this case, although officials said substance abuse contributed to the incident, per the report. Her children are under the care of their father.
In 2022, a 7-year-old boy left his parents “scared to death” after he crashed his parent’s SUV while on his way to get a slushie from a convenience store. Dashcam footage shows the child driving the wrong way in traffic before colliding with a jeep.
