DETROIT, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- A Michigan man who allowed his 9-year-old daughter to drive him around in his van because he allegedly was too drunk to drive will stand trial, a judge ruled.
Shawn Weimer, 39, of Brownstown Township, will be tried on felony second-degree child abuse charges and charges of fourth-degree child abuse and allowing an unlicensed individual to drive, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
Attorney Barry Adler, a lawyer for Weimer, said his client was "grossly overcharged" and he would seek to have the felony charges stemming from the Oct. 8 incident dismissed.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said Tuesday the charges "are appropriate based upon the facts and the evidence."
Weimer's daughter testified in a hearing her father consumed half a bottle of liquor a few hours before she drove him to a local gas station in his work van where Weimer bragged to an attendant that the 9-year-old was his designated driver.
