A man made his 9-year-old daughter the designated driver in the middle of the night after he had been drinking, and it was caught on tape. INSIDE EDITION has the shocking story.
When a van pulled into a gas station late at night it seemed like nothing unusual. But a closer look revealed the driver was only 9-years-old. A man walking unsteadily with her was her dad who was drunk. The whole event was caught on camera.
Inside the convenience store, the proud dad even boasted that the third-grader was his designated driver, and she joined in.
"She drives us here. I swear to you. Nine years old! In the truck. We're parked right there. She drove all the way here," said the dad.
"And I parked," said the daughter.
"And she parked," agreed the dad.
He bought her a candy apple as a reward and had no problem admitting he was drunk.
"We're leaving and she's driving. I'm drunk," he said.
On the way back to the car he even did a little drunken jig. Before driving off, the little girl actually waved goodbye. Another driver who thought the girl was 7, was so concerned he immediately called 911.
Caller: "Just watched a van pull out of a Citco gas station. A seven year old girl is driving it and her dad is drunk."
911 operator: "Is the vehicle staying on the road?"
Caller: "She's driving pretty good. I'm telling you, I can't believe it."
The van was pulled over two miles from the Citgo station and 39-year-old plumber Shawn Weimer was arrested for child abuse.
Lt. Robert Grant said, "If this good samaritan didn't come forward and dial 911, this little girl could have crashed, killed herself, killed somebody else on the roadway."
The shocking video from a gas station near Detroit is causing outrage across America.
Barbara Walters said on The View, "This was three o'clock in the morning! Why wasn't this child in bed?"
On the Today show, Matt Lauer said, "That's ridiculous."
Police say the child told them it's not the first time she has driven the van and that she thought she was driving pretty good.
