WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A suspected DUI driver who was found to have three kids in the trunk of his car told Westminster police that the kids were in the trunk “for fun,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Denver7 on Wednesday.
Thomas Raiola, 40, was stopped by police and arrested on suspicion of DUI, among other charges, the evening of Jan. 23 after officers spotted him driving a Chevy Malibu and doing a high-speed “donut” turn in a Dollar Tree parking lot in Westminster, according to the affidavit.
During the stop, an officer told Raiola that he smelled alcohol coming from his parked Malibu, but the suspect only admitted to “acting an idiot,” and denied consuming any alcohol, telling the officer the smell was from his Zyns.
Raiola then agreed to perform roadside maneuvers but refused to complete them after a short time, according to bodycam video of the stop released Tuesday.
Crime
Suspected drunk driver arrested, confessed to driving with 3 kids in the trunk
Police said that at no point during the stop did he mention that children were in the trunk—officers only learned of it after handcuffing him.
The video from the officer shows officers putting the suspect in handcuffs before asking Raiola, “So you have three kids hiding in the trunk?”
“Yes,” Raiola replies.
Bodycam video shows another officer opening the Malibu's trunk and revealing three kids inside.
“Do you think it would have been a good idea to say something before?” the arresting officer asks before the video goes black.
After his arrest, Raiola told police that the three children were in the trunk “for fun” and because they asked him to drive fast, according to the affidavit.
Police noted in the arrest documents that the three children were left unrestrained in the trunk of the car for 17 minutes amid freezing temperatures. However, the report stated that the children were unharmed.
“Luckily, the kids were unharmed. Several bottles of alcohol were also recovered from inside the vehicle,” a spokesperson for the Westminster Police Department wrote in a news release.
The affidavit does not explicitly state the exact relationship between Raiola and the three children. Raiola’s mother was called to pick them up after his arrest.
Raiola was booked into the Adams County Jail and is facing additional charges of reckless driving, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, and failure to provide proof of insurance.
► Watch the moment Westminster police officers found the three kids inside the trunk in the video player below:
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.