By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
news4garrod@gmail.com
KEELER TWP. – A Pullman area man faces charges of OWI and child endangerment after his vehicle, with two small children inside, traveled off the roadway in Keeler Township. He alleg-edly passed out, with the children still inside and dangerous wind chill that night, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched early Friday morning, Feb. 14, to the 74000 block of County Road 687 in Keeler Township for reports of a man screaming. Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said deputies arrived at the scene at 1:50 a.m., and found a vehicle had traveled off the roadway. Deputies noticed the male driver slumped over the steering wheel. Several attempts to awaken the driver were made before he finally acknowledged the deputies.
The driver was identified as a 27-year-old Pullman area man. While speaking with the driver, deputies saw two small children in the vehicle’s rear seat. The children, aged three and five, were sleeping at the time of deputies’ arrival. Deputies noted the extreme cold while on sce-ne, with wind chill hovering around zero degrees.
Deputies inquired into a broken window on the vehicle to which the suspect driver said he broke it because he lost his keys. Deputies noticed signs of intoxication from the driver, who was asked to exit the vehicle for the investigation.
Authorities learned that the suspect was traveling from Lawrence to Pullman. Deputies noted that the suspect was traveling in the wrong direction.
It was determined that the driver was operating while intoxicated and he was placed into custody. The suspect was transported to the Van Buren County Jail, facing charges of OWI and child endangerment.
The children were brought back to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, where they were cared for until family arrived and picked them up.
A report will be referred to CPS and has been submitted to the Van Buren County Prosec-tor’s Office for review. This investigation remains open.
