Father: Letting 9-Year-Old Drive Was a 'Mistake'

BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich.-- A suburban Detroit man says letting his 9-year-old daughter drive him around after he had been drinking was a bad idea that grew out of good memories from his youth.

Shawn Weimer tells the Detroit Free Press for a story Saturday that he made a mistake asking his daughter to drive in the early morning of Oct. 8. He faces trial on a felony child abuse charge.

The 39-year-old says he wanted to share the experience of driving with his daughter. His family owned a junkyard and he had access to many vehicles at her age.

Police arrested Weimer after pulling over the van and finding his daughter behind the wheel near their home. Surveillance video from a Brownstown Township gas station shows Weimer bragging about her driving skills.