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After stopping a car for driving “recklessly” in Colorado, an officer smelled alcohol coming from the vehicle, and then, discovered three children inside the vehicle’s trunk, according to police.
The shocking discovery was made in the Denver suburb of Westminster on January 23 and captured on body camera footage made public on Tuesday, February 3, by the Westminster Police Department.
“Hi there … Any idea why I’m stopping you today?” a Westminster traffic officer is heard asking the driver as they approach his vehicle, according to the footage.
In response, the driver is heard saying: “Uh, because I was acting like an idiot.”
After the officer is heard telling the man that he was lucky that he did not crash into anyone, the officer then asks: “Are you sure you haven’t drank any alcohol, because I got a smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle right now.”
In reply, the man responds, “No sir.”
The man ultimately said he would perform voluntary roadside maneuvers for the officer, upon the officer’s request, according to the footage. “Then, he quickly changed his mind,” the Westminster Police Department said in a news release.
The man, identified as Thomas Michael Raiola, was handcuffed by officers, CBS News and KDVR reported.
Then Raiola shared “my kids are in the trunk,” police said, according to CBS News.
The footage captures an officer asking Raiola, “So you have three kids hiding in your trunk?” to which he responds, “Yes.”
An officer is then seen opening the trunk and shining a flashlight onto the three children huddled inside.
Their ages were not mentioned by police, who said they were not injured during the incident.
Raiola was ultimately arrested on suspicion of DUI, reckless driving, failure to provide a valid insurance, and three counts of child abuse, according to Westminster Police.
It was not immediately clear whether he had retained legal representation or entered a plea. Raiola posted a $2,500 bond, according to CBS News, and is scheduled to appear in court on March 16.
In an interview with KDVR, Raiola told the TV station that his children wanted to ride in his trunk as he drove in a parking lot on January 23. He explained that he initially said no but then agreed.
“I was going fast, and they were laughing, and I’m like, ‘You guys okay?’ and they go like, ‘Yeah,’” Raiola told KDVR. “It looks a lot worse than it was. It was me trying to be a fun dad.”
According to police, Raiola had been driving with multiple alcohol bottles inside his car.
As Raiola was taken into custody, officers called Child Protective Services, according to police. The children were ultimately transferred to the custody of relatives, police said.
Christopher Decker, a legal analyst for KDVR, commented on the child abuse charges Raiola is facing.
He told the TV station that a prosecutor could successfully argue in support of a child abuse charge “if they establish that an individual places a child unreasonably places a child in a situation where they could be harmed.”
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