Georgia Dad Jailed After He And Toddler Are Found Drunk: Police

GAINESVILLE, GA -- A Georgia father was jailed this week after police say he and his 3-year-old son were both found drunk.

Gainesville (Ga.) Police were called to a home Saturday where they say they found Marcus Daniel Allen, 20, passed out and his son acting intoxicated and smelling of alcohol.

Police say they learned that the father had been drinking a fruity mixed drink out of a bottle through a straw. When he passed out, police say, the toddler started drinking the cocktail.

The two of them were taken to a local hospital, where it was determined that the boy had a blood-alcohol level nearly the equivalent of twice Georgia's legal limit for drivers.

"I think it could have been a lot worse had (family members) not come home when they did," Gainesville Police Deputy Chief Jay Parrish told WXIA-TV. "Had the child ingested more alcohol, it could have been fatal."

Police arrested Allen and charged him with felony cruelty to children, reckless conduct, obstruction and drinking under Georgia's legal age of 21.

They say that, when police officers approached Allen at the hospital, he tried to run away.

The toddler was placed in his mother's care by the Georgia Department of Family and Children's Services. Allen was being held without bond at Hall County Jail.