Man Straps Kids to Hood of Car, Drives Drunk

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on May 09, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Monday night was an unpleasant one for Aaron Stefanski and Jessica Clark of Fort Wayne, Ind. The pair was pulled over by a U.S Marshal who had noticed four kids strapped to the hood of their car.

Minutes before the arrest, a witness had called local police to report the couple. The witness had watched them strap the kids to the car while they were parked in a liquor store parking lot.

Who would have guessed that Stefanski was drunk?

He allegedly was, and has been charged with driving under the influence, according to the Journal Gazette. Luckily, he only managed to drive three blocks before the U.S. Marshal caught up. The children -- ages 4, 5, 6 and 7 -- were unharmed.

Aaron Stefanski and Jessica Clark are also both facing felony neglect charges, and the Associated Press reports that the Department of Child Services has already stepped in. It's unclear whether the children are in protective custody or in a family member's care.

Regardless, they probably won't be given unfettered access to those children at any point soon. Child neglect, which includes placing a dependent in a life-threatening situation, is a Class D felony. The charge carries a possible jail sentence of between 6 months and 3 years, with a suggested sentence of 1.5 years.

And even if prosecutors agree to cut a deal for less (or no) time, Child Services isn't just going to walk away. Aaron Stefanski and Jessica Clark strapped kids to a car. That's the very definition of unfit parenting.

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