Man Stuffs His Kids Into Trunk To Make Room For Other Passengers - Arrested [View All]

[matcom]

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Douglas Willy faced a dilemma Saturday morning as he, his girlfriend and their four children prepared to start a trip to Seaside.

The Pontiac Grand Am the six of them were taking from Aloha had only five seats with seat belts, two in front and three in back.

What to do?

The choice was to take two cars or to figure out a way to cram six into the Grand Am.

Willy's solution is one he'll probably regret. Two children, ages 12 and 13, climbed in the trunk, and they set out.

Willy stopped for gas in North Plains. Somebody saw children in the trunk and called the Washington County Sheriff's Office. A deputy caught up with Willy on U.S. 26 about 20 miles later.

The deputy let the kids out of the trunk and arrested Willy, 40, of Hillsboro on two counts of reckless endangerment.

"We were fortunate to track him down," said Sgt. Vance Stimler, a sheriff's spokesman.

The kids were unharmed. But that might not have been the case if the car had been rear-ended or hit a slick spot on the wet, twisty road to the coast, Stimler said. "There's also the potential of dangerous exhaust fumes," he added.

Willy was taken to the Washington County Jail, then released on his own recognizance later in the day. His girlfriend returned home with the kids all buckled in, Stimler said.

Willy, whose driving record shows no major previous problems, could not be reached for comment.

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