A man accused of driving under the influence of alcohol also had three children in his vehicle who weren’t in car seats, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
A deputy Saturday afternoon witnessed a woman holding an unrestrained child in the backseat of a vehicle traveling northbound on Bells Ferry Road near Eagle Drive, Lt. Jay Baker said.
“The deputy pulled the vehicle over and when he approached the vehicle he observed two children, ages 7 and 4 sharing a seat belt in the back seat,” Baker said in an emailed statement. “Also in the back seat was an adult female sharing a seat belt with a 3 year old, whom she had been holding moments earlier.”
The driver, Luis Marquez-Bernal, 30, of Acworth, was arrested and charged with DUI, three counts of endangering a child, three counts of child not in restraint and driving without a license, Baker said. Marquez-Bernal was booked in to the Cherokee County jail, where he was being held Tuesday afternoon on a possible immigration violation.
Georgia law requires that all children under age eight be restrained in a child passenger safety seat or booster seat, according to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Low-cost programs are available to assist those in need. Cherokee County residents can visit www.cherokeesafekids.org or calling 678-493-4343.
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