Buy This Dad A Brain
Boy, 10, crashes drunk passenger's van after hitting 90 mph
OCTOBER 7--Meet Randy Lewis. The Tennessee man was so plastered Sunday afternoon that he directed a 10-year-old boy to drive his van, which eventually crashed after the child hit speeds of upwards of 90 mph.
Lewis, 43, was charged with drunk driving, reckless endangerment, and child abuse. A female friend, Paula Evans, was hit with reckless endangerment and child abuse charges.
According to a Sullivan County Sheriffs Office affidavit, when officers responded to the vehicle crash site, they discovered that the totaled 1995 Ford Windstar van (which had flipped on its roof) had been driven by the 10-year-old. The boy was one of three children in the auto; all five of the van's inhabitants were treated for injuries at a local hospital. When arrested, Lewis, pictured in his mug shot, had cocaine in his system and a blood alcohol content of .26, more than three times the state limit, according to the sheriff's affidavit.
He admitted drinking 'at least 15 beers, along with some liquor,' cops reported. For her part, Evans was spotted by sheriff's deputies shoving pills in her mouth while seated near the overturned van. In a subsequent hospital interview with police, Evans recalled having told Lewis that 'the boy was too young to be driving.'
Lewis is being held on $50,000 bond in the Sullivan County jail, where he has presumably changed out of his unfortunate 'Buy This Dad a Beer' t-shirt. (2 pages)
