Child endangerment charges have been brought against a mother from St. Louis who, according to the authorities, forced her son, who was eight years old at the time, to drive while she was unconscious, with her toddler sitting in the car.
On the same day that Latonya Mayes-Gale, 28, was taken into custody, the United States Attorney's Office in St. Louis filed two counts of criminal child endangerment against her.
According to the records that were filed, one of the offenses related to the boy, while the other one involves her three-year-old child, who was sitting in the rear seat without any protection.
According to an affidavit that was submitted by the police in support of Mayes-Gale's arrest, she was taken into custody and immediately booked into prison when an officer observed a vehicle traveling west in an eastbound lane at an intersection in the downtown area of St. Louis.
According to the affidavit, the defendant indicated that she was unable to operate the motor vehicle and that she gave the instruction to the eight-year-old to drive the vehicle for her.
"The defendant was unconscious and was located in the backseat of the motor vehicle, and the victim number two, who was three years old, was sitting in the backseat without any protection."
Steven Kratky, her attorney, stated in an email that Mayes-Gale is responsible for the upbringing of her two children, works as a home health aide, and provides care for an old grandparent who is confined to their home. These are all issues that he brought up in court.
According to the documents filed with the court, Mayes-Gale was temporarily released by a judge pending trial on Tuesday. A bond hearing is scheduled to take place on April 23.
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