WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A man driving erratically in Westminster was recently arrested by police after officers got a whiff of alcohol coming from his car. Little did they know alcohol wasn’t the only thing they would find.
The driver was spotted driving recklessly in the area of City Center Drive and 93rd Avenue on Friday, Jan. 23. Once officers stopped the driver, an officer “immediately noticed the smell of alcohol,” according to a news release from the Westminster Police Department.
The driver, who has not been identified, denied consuming any alcohol and told the officer the smell were from his Zyns. He then agreed to perform roadside maneuvers but refused to complete them after a short time.
Bodycam video from the officer shows law enforcement putting the suspect in handcuffs before asking the man, “So you have three kids hiding in the trunk?”
“Yes,” the man replies.
Bodycam video then shows another officer opening the man’s trunk, revealing the three kids inside.
“You didn’t think that’d of [sic] been a good idea to say something before?” the arresting officer asks before the video goes to black.
In a news release announcing the arrest, police said temperatures were also freezing outside at the time of the traffic stop.
“Luckily, the kids were unharmed. Several bottles of alcohol were also recovered from inside the vehicle,” a spokesperson for the police department wrote.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, reckless driving, failure to provide a valid insurance and three counts of child abuse. He was taken to Adams County Jail, according to police.
Child Protective Services was called to the scene and the kids were released to other family members, a spokesperson for the police department said.
As to why the kids were in the trunk, the department did not provide Denver7 with that information. A request for more details, including an arrest affidavit, was submitted on Wednesday.
Watch the moment Westminster police officers found the three kids inside the trunk in the video player below:
