The trial of the father who had his 9-year-old drive him has begun.
/ WNWO archive
WOODHAVEN, MICH. (AP) -- A Detroit-area judge says he won't decide until next week whether a man goes to trial for child abuse for allowing his 9-year-old daughter to drive.
Shawn Weimer's attorney wants to put his arguments in writing, so Judge Michael McNally in Woodhaven will decide next Tuesday.
Weimer's daughter testified about driving her dad's van in the wee hours of Oct. 8. She says her father had consumed half of a
bottle of whiskey. She says she agreed to drive but felt a "little scared."
The girl repeatedly cried in court Tuesday. The judge tried to calm her and offered a soft drink before calling a recess.
Weimer's attorney says the girl was a good driver and unlikely to be injured - a key standard under a second-degree child abuse charge.
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