Mother Caught Drunk Driving With 8 Kids In The Car On Her Way To The Bar

A mother-of-six and former childcare worker has been arrested for driving drunk to a bar with eight kids in her van. Lawanda Lowery-Gale, from Gainsville, Florida, is facing DUI charges and eight counts of child neglect after police caught her with a blood alcohol level of 0.166 – twice the state’s limit of 0.08. Officers breath-tested the 32-year-old after she side-swiped another car with her Kia van around 9.50pm on Friday. The woman caused a commotion but no injuries, according to The Gainsville Sun.

The cost of damages from the crash are estimated at more than $1,000. She was driving eight children aged 10 months to 14 years. Six of the youngsters are her own and the other two are her nieces. Lowery-Gale told police she was en route to local nightclub, Fubar, when the incident occurred. According to officers, Lowery-Gale appeared to be intoxicated and had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol when interviewed at the scene of the crash. The arrest report also says she performed poorly on sobriety exercises. Lowery-Gale used to work at KinderCare Learning Center in Melrose, Massachusetts, according to her Facebook page. The woman was also charged with driving with a suspended license. According to the newspaper, Lowery-Gale’s drivers’ license has been suspended five times. She was also cited for failing to submit to an alcohol test in January 2011.