Grandpa Takes Kid For Donuts

NOVEMBER 24--Meet Robert Christgau.

The Minnesota man, 56, is facing child endangerment and drunk driving charges after he allegedly drove his car in circles while his seven-year-old grandson clung to the auto's roof. Christgau, pictured in the mug shot at left, was doing the donuts outside his Austin apartment last Thursday, according to this probable cause statement filed in Mower County District Court.

After receiving a 911 call reporting a "vehicle driving circles around the property while a young child was riding unrestrained on the roof," sheriff's deputies approached Christgau, who was standing next to a Ford Escort with an open beer can on its roof. Christgau admitted driving the car with his grandson "hanging on the luggage rack on the roof."

A witness, who pulled Christgau from the vehicle and held him until deputies arrived, told investigators that the child's legs were "hanging down the windshield." After failing a series of field sobriety tests, Christgau took a Breathalyzer test and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.14, nearly twice the state limit.

Questioned about his roof ride, the boy told deputies that he and his grandfather had come up with the idea. Christgau was named in a three-count misdemeanor complaint charging him with driving while intoxicated, child endangerment, and child neglect. The last charge resulted from Christgau leaving a three-year-old grandson unattended in his apartment while he was taking the child's brother for a spin. (4 pages)