8-year-old caught driving the wrong way with mom passed out in the back seat: Cops

Latonya Mayes-Gale, inset, is facing two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child after cops caught her son, 8, driving with her passed out in the back seat. (Mug shot: St. Louis City Justice Center; Screenshot: KDSK/YouTube)

A 28-year-old woman was arrested after cops found her passed out in the back seat with her 8-year-old behind the wheel driving down the wrong way down a St. Louis street.

Cops were in the area of 4th and Walnut streets in downtown St. Louis near the Gateway Arch on Monday when they noticed a car going west in the eastbound lanes. They received quite the surprise when they pulled the car over and met the very young driver.

Officers didn’t have to look far to find his mom: Latonya Mayes-Gale was allegedly passed out in the back. She allegedly was driving but told the boy to take the wheel so she could get comfortable in the back.

A 3-year-old was also in the car and not strapped in a car seat, police said. Officers took Mayes-Gale into custody on two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

She was booked into the City Justice Center and is now free on bond. The Riverfront Times reported at the bond hearing her attorney said Mayes-Gale raises her two children, works as a home health aide and cares for an elderly grandparent who is homebound. Prosecutors allege that substance was a factor in the crash. Her attorney said other issues such as stress and mental health played a role in the incident.

The judge granted bond over the objection of prosecutors, court records say. Mayes-Gale is now under house arrest and cannot have contact with her children, according to records. The kids are currently staying with their father, the Riverfront Times reported.

Her next court date is scheduled for April 23.

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