According to the Fort Wayne, IN, Journal Gazette, Aaron Stefanski thought his kids would enjoy being strapped to the hood of his vehicle when he stopped at a liquor store south of downtown.
“I was only going to drive around the corner. I thought they would like it,” he would later tell police.
Stefanski strapped his two sons, ages 4 and 5, his 6-year-old daughter and the 7-year-old daughter of Jessica Clark to the hood with a tow strap,
A manager at the liquor store called 911 when he saw Stefanski use a tow strap to secure the four children to the hood and head south. A U.S. marshal in the area heard the dispatch and pulled Stefanski over, about three blocks away.
Fort Wayne police arrived shortly after and could smell alcohol on Stefanski’s breath. His blood alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent in Indiana.
The mother of Stefanski’s children later showed up and the children were released to her. Stefanski did not have valid insurance and when they went to tow the vehicle, they found two cold 24-ounce Magnum beers inside a pink backpack inside the car.
Stefanski, 29, was charged with three felony counts of neglect of a dependent, felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated and four misdemeanor counts of criminal recklessness.
In what can only be described as an understatement, Clark, 29, later told police that what Stefanski did was not in the best interest of their safety. She was arrested on a felony charge of neglect of a dependent. Clark’s daughter was placed with the Department of Child Services, the police report said.
Stefanski was being held in lieu of $13,000 bail. Clark’s bail was set at $2,500.