When law enforcement agencies encourage people to designate a driver instead of drinking and driving, this isn’t what they had in mind.
A Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office deputy pulled over an erratic driver Thursday morning, KOAT reported. The driver turned out to be a 13-year-old boy.
The teen driver failed to perform field sobriety tests and police said that he appeared to be intoxicated. Police said the teen registered a .14 BAC on a Breathalyzer test, according to KRQE.
Also in the car was the driver’s mother, Sanjuana Mercado-Mendez, 52, who police said was intoxicated, and a 15-year-old girl, who police said was sober.
Mercado-Mendez has a previous criminal record. Police told KRQE that in 2014, she brought her two sons along with her to steal scrap metal. She faces several new charges for the Thursday incident, including child abuse.
The teen driver was charged with aggravated DWI, open container and driving without a license, along with other traffic violations, police said.
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