Indiana Man Arrested With Four Kids Strapped to Car Hood

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana man accused of driving three blocks with four children strapped to the hood of his car was being held in jail Tuesday on charges of drunken driving and neglect, police said.

Fort Wayne police said the mother of three of those children also was being held on neglect charges. The other child belonged to the man. None of the children — aged 4, 5, 6 and 7 — was injured, police spokeswoman Raquel Foster said.

A witness called police Monday evening after seeing a man and woman using a tow strap to tie the children to the car in a liquor store parking lot and then drive away, Foster said.

"Apparently they were traveling a short distance, and he believed they would enjoy it," Foster said.

She said a U.S. marshal overheard the police radio traffic, spotted the car and pulled it over.

Foster said she had no information about the children's reaction to the ride.

The man had a blood alcohol content of .17, more than twice Indiana's legal limit for driving, Foster said. Police said the woman also appeared to be intoxicated. The man and woman's relationship was unclear.

Bond was set at $13,000 for the man, while the woman has a $2,500 bond. The Associated Press is withholding their names to protect the identities of the children.

An officer at the Allen County Jail said he didn't know if they had attorneys.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net