A Leesburg man was charged with child abuse after his six-year-old son crashed the family car into a light pole.
Josue Suarez, 38, allowed his son to steer the family car on Friday afternoon, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The boy had asked his father if he could drive the car and the father put the small boy in his lap. The father continued to operate the gas and brake pedals while his son steered the car.
As the car proceeded northbound on South Lone Oak Drive and passed the intersection of Jobbins Drive, the boy moved the steering wheel completely to the right. Suarez tried to steer the car back on the roadway, but it crashed into a light pole. Neither the father nor son were injured even though they were not wearing seat belts. Suarez’s daughter was also in the car and was not injured.
The Nicaragua native admitted he does not have a driver’s license. Suarez was charged with child abuse-simple assault and operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license.
Suarez was taken to the Lake County Jail where he was initially booked without bond. The boy and girl were turned over to their mother.