Police say drunken mom had 6 kids in the car with her

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Police have arrested a Gwinnett County mother who is accused of driving drunk with six children in her SUV.

A customer at Skate-A-Long USA skating rink said Rachel Rosario was bumping up against curbs as she tried to pull out of the parking lot.

One witness told Channel 2's Tony Thomas she and a friend had been warned just moments before.

"It was sad," said Marquis Miller, who said he was in the DJ booth at the rink Saturday.

Miller said it was obvious two women were under the influence.

He said at one point an off-duty Gwinnett County sheriff's deputy working security warned the women to leave. Then, a few moments later, a frazzled customer came running in.

Authorities said the deputy then took out after the white Escalade.

In a police report, the deputy wrote he noticed the SUV swerve several times before he pulled it over about a mile down Beaver Ruin Road.

Inside he found Rosario and six children, ages 5 to 12 years old.

Thomas went by Rosario's Lawrenceville home Tuesday for comment. She wasn't there, but Thomas found her husband backing the white Escalade into the driveway.

"Are you worried about your kids?" Thomas asked the husband.

He didn't want to talk and said his wife was meeting with an attorney to face the charges filed by the Gwinnett County Police Department.

"Drunk driving in itself is inherently dangerous then when you put children in the mix. They are the true innocent people involved in this," said Cpl. Ed Ritter with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

The off-duty deputy said at first Rosario denied having anything to drink, but then confessed to two drinks.

It's unclear what she drank or where. The roller rink does not serve alcohol.

Police reports show Rosario's husband was allowed to come to the scene and pick up the kids.

Rosario faces six counts of child endangerment, along with DUI and other charges and is free on a signature bond.

WSBTV