NC Cracks Down On Drunken Driving With Children On Board

BELMONT, N.C.,None — State lawmakers are working to curb a dangerous pattern of parents driving drunk with children in their cars.

On Tuesday, police charged Candy Grantham with DWI, reckless driving and endangerment. She is accused of running off Wilkinson Boulevard in Belmont and crashing into several metal poles and a building while driving drunk. Police said her 10-year-old daughter was a passenger in the car.

In March, Alexander County officials accused Kalie Nickels of driving drunk and having powerful painkillers in the car with her 2-year-old daughter inside.

Narios Barnes was arrested in Charlotte in April. Police said he was under the influence with four children in the car.

Last month, an officer pulled Tammy Burris over on suspicion of drunken driving in Tega Cay. Her 4-year-old daughter was in the back seat.

North Carolina lawmakers are cracking down. In June, they passed Senate Bill 241 into law, which states that if a person is convicted of DWI and there were passengers younger than 18 years old on board at the time of the offense, they will be sentenced as a Level One DWI offender. It is the most serious level of punishment, with a mandatory 30 days behind bars and up to two years in jail.

That law goes into effect Dec. 1.

Kelly Henninger witnessed Grantham's crash Tuesday, and said she hopes tougher laws will be a wake-up call for parents.

"Keep the kids safe," she said. "They don't have a choice in it. They are just passengers in the car."

Previous Stories: April 18, 2011: Woman Accused Of DUI After Crashing With Child In Car March 23, 2011: Deputies: 2 Charged After Drugs Found In Car Seat Feb. 13, 2011: Mother Accused Of Leaving Baby On Side Of Interstate Jan. 3, 2011: Police: Man Drove Drunk With Son In Car

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