Charges: Man Drove Drunk With 1-Year-Old Child Unfastened In Car Seat

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 27-year-old northern Minnesota man is accused of driving drunk early Sunday morning in South St. Paul with his 1-year-old child unfastened in a car seat.

Rafael Tula, of Hibbing, is charged with gross misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and child endangerment, court documents filed in Dakota County show.

According to a criminal complaint, authorities in South St. Paul noticed Tula's car around 2:30 a.m. Sunday swerving and alternating between speeding up and slowing down. Officers also noticed that the car's registered owner had their license revoked.

After officers stopped Tula, they noticed there was a 1-year-old child sleeping in the back of the car. The child was in a car seat, but not buckled in. The car seat was also not fastened to the safety belt.

Tula's car smelled strongly of alcohol, the complaint states. Officers noted that Tula had watery, bloodshot eyes and had trouble pulling his license from his pocket. In a preliminary breath test, he blew a .157, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Officers arrested Tula. After speaking to a lawyer, he refused to take another breath test.

According to the complaint, Tula has been convicted of DWI twice before, in 2014 and 2016.