Vaughan man arrested for drunk driving trying to pick up kids from school

A 38-year-old Vaughan man is facing impaired driving charges after he attempted to pick up his kids from school while intoxicated.

York Region Police say they received a call shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday that a man was trying to pick up his young kids from a school in Vaughan. Staff at the school refused to allow the kids to get into the car after it appeared to them that the man was drunk.

“It appears the male in the truck came to pick up his kids from school. Got into a verbal altercation with another teacher at the school. The kids were removed from the vehicle and they are currently in their room at the school right now,” a dispatcher is heard telling officers in video of the incident released by police.

Police say a short time later the man was located at his home and placed under arrest for suspected drunk driving. A subsequent breathalyzer test showed he had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

“I am truly at a loss to understand how drivers continue to make the stupid and dangerous decision to drive while impaired, either by alcohol or drugs,” said chief Eric Joliffe, who noted that the number of impaired-related driving charges laid in York Region continues to rise each year.

“These selfish choices put our entire community at risk, including young children, as we have seen in this case.”

Police add the incident is particularly disturbing as it comes almost four years to the day after a drunk driver claimed the lives of three small children – Daniel, Milly and Harrison Neville-Lake – and their grandfather Gary Neville.

Police say since that tragic accident, the number of impaired-related criminal charges each year has risen, from 1,636 in 2016 to 1,654 last year. So far this year, police say they’ve laid more than 1,290 impaired charges.