UPDATE: Police Say Brother Corrected Dad About Who Was Really Driving In Crash Involving 10-Year-Old
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Child Driver Crashes Car
Child Driver Crashes Car
The mugshot of Randy Lewis taken by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office
2:38pm Update:
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office has released the police report and officer’s affadavit about the crash. In it, the responding officer says that he asked Randy Lewis who was driving the minivan when it crashed. The officer’s statement says, “Randy stated that he was driving. After admitting to driving, one of the juvenile boys named (name withheld) pulled me to the side and said that (name withheld) (age 10), was driving the vehicle when it crashed.“
Read the officer’s affadavit by clicking here.
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UPDATED: (1:35 p.m.) By Yasmeen Elayan-
Bond was set for Randy Lewis just before noon. He remains behind bars on a $50,000 bond. Also, Paula Evans bond was set at $50,000.
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UPDATED: (6:35 a.m.) By Yasmeen Elayan-
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s office plans to release more information today about a 10-year-old boy who police say flipped the family car at 90 miles per hour Sunday night with two adults riding shotgun.
Sullivan County Sheriffs say three kids—including the 10-year-old—were inside. They found the car on it’s top, and say a woman was in the car swallowing pills, with a man, who says he drank more than 15 beers.
The crash happened on Flatwoods Road, in the middle of Cherokee National Forest, just off the southern tip of South Holston Lake.
Police charged Randy Lewis with his third DUI and child abuse.
Captain Keith Elton says Lewis admitted to drinking at least 15 beers and liquor before the crash.
The shirt Lewis was wearing ironically reads, “Buy this dad a beer.“
Luckily, police said all three kids are okay.
The woman, Paula Elaine Evans, was released from the hospital last night.
She also faces several charges.
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The Sullivan County Sheriff’s office believes a 10 year old was driving a car moments before it crashed Sunday on Flatwoods road in Sullivan County.
Police responding to the accident found an overturned car, three children and two adults on the scene, according to a report released by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
“The officers noticed that the adult female, Paula Elaine Evans, was standing in the roadway putting as many pills into her mouth as she could and swallowing them. The officers prevented her from taking anymore,” the report stated.
“The adult male, Randy Lewis, appeared to be intoxicated and admitted to consuming at least 15 beers along with liquor,” it stated.
After further investigation of the scene police learned that a 10-year old boy was driving the car at speeds near 90 miles an hour at the time of the wreck, according to the report.
For more information on the case, watch News Channel 11 at 5 and 6.
Lewis, 43, of Bristol, Tenn., is being held in the Sullivan County Correctional Facility and faces several charges including a third offense of Driving Under the Influence and aggravated child abuse/neglect, the report said.
Evans 38, of `Bristol, Tenn., remains hospitalized and faces several charges including felony reckless endangerment and aggravated child abuse/neglect, the report said.
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Reader Reactions
“cbr929rrerion” First off, before you start talking about the education level of those posting comments you should really pull out your own dictionary and look up the word responsibility and spell it correctly next time you use it. You obviously did not read the posts very carefully. There are posts by the young boys mother explaining her plight. I too was forced to allow the father of my child visitation although he was proven to have an alcohol problem just like she was. I was instructed that as long as he didn’t drive there and pick him up intoxicated there was nothing I could do. If he had already drank a few beers it was fine as long as he wasn’t driving. This was done by the court system you speak so highly of, this was done with a dcs advocate standing there. You should really be ashamed of your comments about the mother of this child, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Children are sent home to horrible conditions all the time, sent home after abuse only to be killed later by those they were sent home with. Do you live in a bubble?
The responses to this article really brings out the uneducated people in our society.
First off it is NOT the “Systems” responsability to protect our children it is the “Parents” responsability to protect their children. The American public expecting the “System” to protect their children is one of the problems. A childs security starts at home.
There are many services available to help in this effort, law enforcement, DCS and others it just takes a concerned parent or citizen to place a call to get them involved in helping.
How do any of you know if there have or have not been any prior complaints to DCS or any other agency. We always assume that the system failed when many times the system does not get involved due to no one brings it to their attention or at the time of investigation there is no proof the allegations are true. Even if there was a prior complaint it is often difficult to substaniate them. It is not the purpose or goal of these agencies to seek out problem families, they RESPOND to complaints and calls for help.
If every child was taken away from every home that any parent drinks or does drugs there would be 75% or more children in state custody. America has become desensitized to alcohol and minor drug use that it is acceptable for them to do so and keep their children. If you do not like these policies then make an effort to get them changed. The policies are based on law and social acceptablity of given acts, so if you disagree then contact your state representative and voice your opinion.
Everyone can sling mud and accusations but in fact if the mother was that concerned about the childs safety there are steps and actions she could have taken to have better protected the children. I am not saying she did nothing I am just saying the legal system has a vast array of agencies to help including but not limited to DCS and Law Enforcement.
This entire event is appauling and its amazing no one else was injured or killed. I agree the father should only have supervised visitation, just be glad the mother is not being investigated for child neglect or child endangerment for not doing more to protect the children considering she admitted she knew of the fathers problems.
Also friends and relatives need to take caution as this is a public forum and is read by many, including DCS and law enforcement and prosecutors. Don’t dig yourself or the family a deeper hole.
‘Ohwell’ I hope your not a parent, your not parent material with a comment like that. Your sick !!! You have no clue what this poor mother has had to put up with. The father and his wife need to be locked up and trash the key. Never to walk free again. To the mother, the 10 year old, and the other kids, my thoughts and prayers are with you all. Thank you Jesus for holding these kids in the palm of your hand that night.
this guy knows how to party.
If the mother was released from the hospital why isn’t she in jail as well? They should both be locked up until arraignment at least and never have children in their unsupervised care again. Sad there isn’t an application process to be a parent. And to the mother of the 10yr old boy, my thoughts are with you and I’m glad you have your proof without losing your child.
Sounds like The Judge and Court System should have to back up and REGROUP….They are suppossed to Protect Our Children!!........A Mother should not need to provide The Court with Proof of any such thing against the OTHER ......The Court System and Judge has let this Lady and her 10 year old Down ,he nearly got killed…....will they RULE the same or diff. next time??
If Drugs or Alcohol are used by either parent .......The System should see to it the Children are protected…..away from the dangers of the Drugs and Alchol…...not put in a car to drive the DEAD BEATS!!!They dont deserve to visit the children alone in my openion if they are doing Drugs and Alcohol the child should never be in A car with them in the first place.
Come on Court System .....DSS…..The Judge ....Stand up!!!!!!! Take Care of Our Children!!!Dont Let Them DOWN!!!You are supposed to Protect THEM!!!!!!
Just another case of Law Makers, Law Enforcement & Social service not doing there job again.
I’m sure they had prior run-ins with the law before and of course nothing ever gets done till there is a bad accident or a tragedy. Maybe now is the time to take there kids off to a better environment and send the parents off to rehab.
rajing25,
I am so sorry you and your son have had to go through this, I hope that he is ok, he is very lucky. At least now you have the “proof” you needed so long ago and can protect him in the future. I moved with my son 12 hours away to escape this sort of crazy….
Best of luck to you and your son.
I have dealt with the dad and Elaine for almost 5 years now. YES she is just as responsible for everything that happened because she was in the passenger front seat when the wreck occurred and YES I think she should have ALOT more charges than she has. She has been snorting pills so long that she had to have her nasal cavity burned because it was destroyed from the pills. She put my child and both of her children in danger by thinking more of herself than of any of the kids. THIS IS NOTHING NEW TO ME. You all are just seeing and reading what the news knows and not all of it is right and it isn’t the whole story.
please forgive the previous comment i posted, i misread the article. my apologies to the childs mother
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