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Grandparents Pulling Toy Car with Granddaughter Behind SUV Charged with DUI

By NBCMiami.com via MSNBC

Credit: WFLA.COM via Sarasota County Sheriff's Office

The deputy who stopped the procession said the toy car was attached to the SUV with two dog leashes.

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    The deputy who stopped the grandparents said the grandmother was in the back of the SUV calling encouragement to the 7-year-old girl.

    (WFLA.COM via Sarasota County Sheriff's Office)

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May 1, 2012 Updated May 1, 2012 at 2:34 PM PDT

Two drunken grandparents were arrested for using their vehicle to pull their 7-year-old granddaughter in a toy car, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said.

Belinda and Paul Berloni were arrested on Sunday after a deputy in a marked patrol car saw the couple's SUV pulling a "small plastic hot wheels car" along an access road, authorities said. The vehicle was going about five to 10 miles per hour said the affidavit.

According to authorities, the girl was wearing a bathing suit with no protective gear. The toy car was attached to the SUV with two dog leashes tied to the trailer hitch.

Paul Berloni, 49, smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and watery, according to the affidavit. When asked for his driver's license, he said it had been revoked for 10 years for a DUI. He also told authorities he had two or three drinks. He later said it was more but wasn't specific.

Belinda Berloni, 47, was allegedly in the cargo area with the rear hatch open cheering the little girl on. She was also intoxicated and said she had a few drinks, authorities said.

She "also stated that she understood that it was dangerous to drag a child behind the vehicle but stated they were just having fun and had been doing it all day," the affidavit said.

Belinda Berloni's son, who is the girl's father, arrived and was upset with his mother. He also said that he believed they had a drinking problem that may have affected their decision making.

Paul Berloni refused to take a field sobriety test and was being held on $7,500 bond on Monday, a jail official said. He faces charges that include a fourth DUI offense, driving with a suspended license and cruelty toward a child.

Belinda Berloni was released from jail Monday on supervised release and faces a child cruelty charge.

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