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Neighbors: 9-year-old drove car through house

CONYERS, Ga. — A Rockdale County father is facing reckless conduct charges after police said he let his 9-year-old daughter drive a car, and she accelerated right through a house.

"All I know is you could see the car going through the house," said neighbor Frankie Juanita Brown.

Brown said her neighbors could hear the collision all the way down the street.

"It was like thunder. A bad thing of thunder," explained Brown to Channel 2's Craig Lucie.

Brown said the child's father was in the car with her, but he was in the passenger seat.

She said he was going to allow her to drive the car back to her mother's house, two doors down.

"I guess he comes over to visit, and he was going to teach her how to drive. So stupid," Brown said.
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In the driveway of a rental home that is currently vacant, you can see where the girl stomped on the gas in "drive," when she meant to put the car in "reverse."

"She was screaming, 'I tore up my momma's car. I tore up my momma's car.' I said, 'don't worry honey as long as you're all aright'," Brown explained.

The 9-year-old is OK, but after police officers arrived, they arrested her father for reckless conduct.

"They should have arrested him. Let your 9-year-old daughter drive. Not the time or the place," Brown said as she shook her head.

Police are not releasing the father's name since that would identify the girl.

Lucie tried to speak with family members about the accident Monday night, but they said they didn't want to be interviewed.