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Police: 12-Year-Old Drove Mother To Bar Save Email Print
42 comments
A | A | A

(August 15, 2008)--A 35-year-old Texas woman was in jail Friday after police said she made her 12-year-old daughter drive her to a bar.

The Longview News-Journal reported that Jennifer Lynn Rosenburg was arrested Thursday and charged with child endangerment.

She was held in the Gregg County Jail in lieu of $2,500 bond.

She was arrested after police stopped a minivan Thursday that had turned into a driveway without a turn signal and then ran into the home at a low speed.

They discovered Rosenburg's 12-year-old daughter was behind the wheel.

She told officers she had just dropped off her mother at a bar.

Police went to the bar and found the woman who they say admitted to having her daughter drive her there.
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Posted by: Mac Location: TX on Aug 23, 2008 at 08:57 AM
Gail; You appear to have knowledge and/or one of the good people handling these type of incidents. Other words, what you are saying, it is up to the CPS case worker's influence to the authority in charge. Age 11 may be ok and yet age 13 may not. That could be interesting in a court of law, if that is the case. I know, that children in the country getting off school buses seem to have a little more lee way than children in town on these types of issues. It may be that a constant pattern of abusive incidents that warrant the charge. Thank you, for the correction and information.
Posted by: Angie Location: Bruceville on Aug 21, 2008 at 03:17 PM
This woman should not be allowed to have children! She is a danger to herself and to others around her. She needs help and her kids need to go to a safe place where they can grow and be themselves and not be around a drunk person who claims she is their mother. She should be ashamed of herself and her actions!!!
Posted by: Gail Location: CenTex on Aug 19, 2008 at 08:00 AM
Taken directly from the Texas Department of Family Protection Services "...there is no Texas law that defines a specific age at which a child may be left home alone, there are several factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding how closely to supervise a child, including: the age, emotional maturity and capability of the child; layout and safety of the home, play area, or other setting; neighborhood circumstances, hazards, and risks; the child's ability to respond to illness, fire, weather, or other types of emergencies; and whether the child has a mental, physical, or medical disability. So, no the legal age for a child to be left alone is not 12 or 13. It all depends on the child and the circumstances.
Posted by: Mac Location: Tx on Aug 18, 2008 at 05:31 PM
To Teacher; You made an incorrect statement. Their is a age limit of staying at home along, check with CPS & law enforcement agencies. The charge is call abandonment and CPS uses this all the time!
Posted by: Mom Location: Temple on Aug 18, 2008 at 04:28 PM
To Teacher: Yes, there is an age limit on when children can stay at home alone. It's 13. Otherwise, you could be reported to CPS. I was younger than 13 and stayed home alone while my parents worked, but that was over 30 years ago. Times have changed - and not necessarily for the better.
Posted by: BB Location: bosque county on Aug 17, 2008 at 07:58 PM
Man, i wish i would've known kids could drive at such a young age. I need to send my 8 month old to the store for some milk.
Posted by: Sam Bam Location: CenTx on Aug 17, 2008 at 01:03 PM
Enlightened: You sure are hooked on these sex toys for a lady who claims to be against them! How did your protest go? Do really want to bring this up again or do you just get off on the subject?
Posted by: Mac Location: TX on Aug 17, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Most people grow out of hanging out in bars. The cost of fuel,food,utilities,etc. and the strictness of law enforcement & TABC, bars seem to be going out of business here in Texas. In the 70's by 11:00 am couldn't find a place to park. Now a days, they are somewhat vacant, (except Friday & Sat. nights). Point is, bars are still bad place to be when most people there could be using the money they spend a little more wisely. Driving is enforced to the extreme and if under 16 years of age in a car, the adult is now charged with a felony! Think about it, drink at home in your own self made bar! Throw some boards up, t.v., radio, dart board and see how much more fun and how much money you will save! Worked for myself and no worry about the drive home or machine gun Kelly showing up. One drunk accident, can destroy your life for good. Ask some people around West or just read the paper. Good people with unrepairable repercussions. Most don't have a drinking problem a traveling problem.
Posted by: Rick Location: Waco on Aug 17, 2008 at 11:05 AM
To Anonymous on Aug 16, 2008 at 11:00 PM--- How about this deal ... post a name and location and then you're welcomed to the debate. Otherwise, an "Anonymous w/no location attack" is cowardly and has no merit. I'm not defending the above action at all. But people who post under "anonymous" must have something to hide and should be ignored.
Posted by: teacher Location: texas on Aug 17, 2008 at 08:23 AM
This is WRONG yes..but her staying home at 12 is not. Please... I have had children as young as 7 stay home alone. Yes, that is way too young. But there is no age limit on staying home alone. It is based on being responsible. I learned to drive in the country at age 10 also. I had my DL, (not permit) at 14. Never had a wreck until I was 28 (others fault) then a ticket at 25 (my fault). I even spent all my drviing years driving on Hwy 440 (deadly 195) in Killeen. Nothing happened there at all. Anyway, wrong yes..but I have a feeling she is dealing with far worse things if they investigate.
Posted by: Candy Location: Waco on Aug 17, 2008 at 02:39 AM
She should hook up with my dad he did the same thang with my sister when she was12 and 13 but we just didnt go to one bar we would go to two or three and she would drive us home cause he would be to drunk....Back in the 70s But my dad was killed in a wreck outside of Chilton he was drunk and he killed a 72 yr old man . DONT DRINK OR DO DRUGS THAN DRIVE PEOPLE. Thats what drunks do they have thier kids drive them around drug heads too
Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 16, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Tex - I'll make a deal with you...I'll mind my own business when YOU learn how to write correctly. The attitude, "Its my kid and not yours I will do what I want with my kid..." is exactly the reason morons like you shouldn't be allowed to have children!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 16, 2008 at 10:56 PM
To Mom - Try calling 911 next time, they have things called ambulances now.
Posted by: ginny Location: cove on Aug 16, 2008 at 10:27 PM
well she was WRONG but at least SHE didn't leave her child in a hot car for 10 hours to die. so why is she in jail and this other worthless scub bags are still going on with their lives as usual after murdering their babies.
Posted by: Enlightened Location: West on Aug 16, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Next thing you know she will be sending her daughter to the local sex shop to by her sodomite toys
Posted by: Aly Location: Waco Area on Aug 16, 2008 at 02:08 PM
I do not condone this...nor did I ever drive my mother to a bar when I was 12! (there were no bars in the town when I grew up). However, I took Drivers Ed in 7th grade, when I was 12, and got my full drivers licence when I turned 14. Ah, but that was the old days. And Like Annonymous, I really learned to drive on country roads when I was about 10. Daddy insisted I learn to drive a standard shift, even tho my mother's '51 Buick had an automatic.
Posted by: another Texas son on Aug 16, 2008 at 09:00 AM
people try to hard to keep children from growing up. they raise the drinking age, raise the driving age, say you can't own a gun till such an age, and so forth. we are forth generation ranchers. my father, being single needed me to steer a truck around the hay field for him at the age of three. when i was five i was raking hay on a 4020 john deere tractor. at ten i drove in to town to get two tons of cotton seed cake to feed the cows, while dad stayed on the ranch, doing work i wasn't strong enough to do. when my grandmother was a young girl, cars were like horses. if you hade the money to buy one, you could drive it. people used to expect their kids to be responsible, and they were. now they treat them like children till they are 21, and wonder why they act so irresponsible
Posted by: Jimmy Location: Belton on Aug 16, 2008 at 08:22 AM
At least the woman wasn't driving drunk. :-) I would drive my own self to the bar, but my twelve year old borrowed the car last night and hasn't made it back home yet. He gets that way when he drinks. :-)
Posted by: mom Location: gatesville on Aug 16, 2008 at 12:41 AM
I was so sick one day, and my 12 yr. old kid took me to the emergency room. We let our kids drive in a very young age 6 or 7 yrs. old, around the ranch or the pasture, just in case of an emergency, And I thank GOD we did because of him I' still in this earth.
Posted by: lisa Location: waco tx on Aug 15, 2008 at 11:23 PM
that lady needs some help because leting her 12 year old child take her to tha bar she ant thinking right so lock her up and give her some help.i hope that tha little girl is in a safe place and that shes ok so for pepoel out there that drinks needs to think about doing something that they well regruet and try to get some for tha sake of ur children and ont like that happen to you
Posted by: Mom of 2 Location: Texas on Aug 15, 2008 at 06:54 PM
It just amazes me that so many parents can't wait just a little longer, until their children are grown and gone to become so irresponsible. This also means that the daughter was home alone while mom was out getting drunk...SO, if something would have happened to her in the home alone, mom couldn't have gotten her help. I guess maybe I am just a different kind of mom that thinks of the worst that could happen before it comes to it happening. My almost 13 yr old son is just now getting to stay at home alone during the day in our small town for me to run to the store and back, not get drunk. Sad part is that this girl is getting such a wonderful example of how she should act once she is a teen. To the mom: You could have left your daughter with the fact she killed someone while driving, smart on your part, would have been her not you. Stay at home and enjoy your child, she is only a child once, I think the bars can wait a few more years, I don't have a problem staying out of them.
Posted by: El Diablo Location: Hell on Aug 15, 2008 at 06:40 PM
At least she got a designated driver. And it probably qualifies as a family outing.
Posted by: Way, way, back in the day on Aug 15, 2008 at 06:36 PM
Back in the late 60's and the 70's, my parents did send us kids to the store to buy their cigarettes. We walked. Back then it was not illegal. And the store clerks knew they were for our parents. But those were different timesand things have changed. Never in my childhood was it ok for a 12 yr old to drive their parents to the bar!!!
Posted by: Mother of Three Location: Temple on Aug 15, 2008 at 05:29 PM
So she was gonna go to the bar and then send her poor daughter back home to stay by herself?? PRIORITIES PEOPLE. Idiots shouldn't be allowed to have children.
Posted by: Me Location: Gatesville on Aug 15, 2008 at 05:02 PM
So who was gonna pick her up and bring her back home... hmmm... I wonder...
Posted by: Tex Location: Texas on Aug 15, 2008 at 04:20 PM
Ok For all of your info...My dad told us story of when they family would go to the bar on saturday night and he would sleep in the back seat of the car while mom and dad drank and then brother drove home!!!But that was back in the day. That was ok and my husband now was telling me that he use to drive his mom around to go bar hopen when he was 13 till 18 with all her friends.. Its my kid and not yours I will do what I want with my kid and yall need to stay out of our bussness.....
Posted by: Just sayin is all Location: Ft Hood on Aug 15, 2008 at 02:40 PM
Well Im a D.A. Yeah, I meant it would be nice if they Weren't being raised by village idiots. Wow, one little typo sure makes a big difference in meaning doesnt it. Thanks.
Posted by: Sharon Location: New England on Aug 15, 2008 at 01:39 PM
My mom never let me driver her to a bar when I was 12. Here's one more thing that I missed out on while I was growing up in Texas. What the heck!
Posted by: Me Location: Central Texas on Aug 15, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Take a cab, morons!
Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 at 12:38 PM
TO: Just sayin is all - Yes, it was just an FYI. I do not condone this behavior and have never and would never do this with my children. However, years ago, this was not so unusual. While I never drove an adult to and from a bar, I know many people my age or older that did so with their parents at that young age. Not saying it is right, I am just saying this lady did not invent doing that. Of course I grew up in the day when it was safe to roam your neighorhood by the time you were 5 or 6. Also, most of us were taught to drive at a young age too. I was first permitted to drive, of course only in the country and on dirt and little traveled roads, when I was about 10.
Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 at 12:32 PM
" It does not take a village to raise a child, but it would be nice if they were being raised by village idiots." I really hope you messed up on your grammar in this "just sayin'"
Posted by: Just sayin is all Location: Ft Hood on Aug 15, 2008 at 11:04 AM
To Texas Resident - well heck then, lets let her go! Or were you "Just sayin"? lol
Posted by: Kim Location: Temple on Aug 15, 2008 at 11:00 AM
I drive my own self to a bar. I would never have my 13 year old daughter drive ME to a bar. I have, however, ridden with my 24 year old son to a bar. LOL That's different though, it was his car and he's legal. What the HECK was this woman thinking?!?
Posted by: hummm Location: in my own world on Aug 15, 2008 at 10:53 AM
well everyone was honest in this story
Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 at 10:01 AM
this story breaks my heart.
Posted by: Texas Resident Location: Texas on Aug 15, 2008 at 09:43 AM
When I was 12 my best friends dad used to give us the keys to his truck and tell us to go to the store and get him cigerettes, and we did.
Posted by: Tina Location: fort hood on Aug 15, 2008 at 09:38 AM
How stupid is this mother for endangering her own child especially at that age. Has she lost her mind?
Posted by: Just sayin is all Location: Ft Hood on Aug 15, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Well Hello to Zippy the Wonder Wench. I wonder if the child is still at the home? This is typical of the type od parenting we are seeing more and more and more in the news. From the ignorant who "dont want that school to close cuz my daughter wants to be a cheerleader there" to "My kids aint wearin no jumpsuit" et al....its shameful. It does not take a village to raise a child, but it would be nice if they were being raised by village idiots.
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