NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A father has been arrested on multiple charges after his two toddlers were found alone in a vehicle along Interstate 65.
Officials with Metro police said they began getting calls around 11:45 p.m. Monday, after drivers spotted a man stepping into traffic on I-65 North near Old Hickory Boulevard.
When officers arrived on the scene, a suspect identified as Frank Rouse, was walking away from the vehicle up the off-ramp onto Old Hickory. They found two children inside the SUV near mile marker 92.
According to authorities, the children appeared to be three-years-old.
Rouse told police he had car trouble, so he pulled over and left the kids inside while he went to get help. However, police said when he came back, Rouse appeared to be drunk.
He reportedly admitted to having a couple of drinks earlier in the night.
Police said he failed DUI tests, and had red, water eyes with slurred his speech and was unsteady on his feet. He told officers he left the kids in the car because they were sleeping and he didn't want to wake them.
Inside the vehicle, police found his cell phone with more than 50 percent battery life. They called the children's mother to the scene and she took both toddlers back home.
Rouse was taken into custody, and charged with DUI, reckless endangerment and driving on a revoked license. He was also charged with theft of property after allegedly stealing his mother's TV back in July and pawning it.
The pawn shop owner reportedly gave police video which allegedly showed Rouse in the store, pawning the TV. Painters working on a home near the mom's house also identified him as the suspect.
His bond was set at $35,000. Rouse was charged with DUI back in 2010.
