Kids Call 911 On DUI Dad: Wallingford Police

WALLINGFORD, CT — A Wallingford man was arrested after police say he left his three kids on the side of the road while he was operating under the influence after leaving a St. Patrick’s Day party this past weekend. Wallingford Police responded to the Pit Stop Gas Station, located at 66 Woodhouse Avenue, at about 7:40 p.m. on March 16 for a welfare check on three juveniles, according to Lt. Cheryl Bradley. One of the juveniles had called 911 to report they were dropped off on the side of the road by their father who was intoxicated, according to Bradley.

Bradley said the responding officers found that the children were “shivering, crying and scared.” They told police that their father, John Sweeney, had been drinking at a St. Patrick’s Day party. The children asked another person at the party to drive them home, but the father insisted on driving them, according to Bradley.

According to one of the juveniles, they were “crying and pleading with him to stop the car” due to his poor driving, Bradley said. He eventually pulled over, the juveniles got out and Sweeney sped off, according to Bradley. The children then walked approximately 1 mile to the Pit Stop Gas Station where they called 911. They were then taken into custody of their mother, according to Bradley.

Sweeney, 48, of North Street, was arrested and charged with three counts of risk of injury to a minor and driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on March 29.