Girl Drives for Her Drunk Father

WOODHAVEN, Mich. --- A Detroit-area judge says he won't decide until next week whether a man will be tried for child abuse for allowing his 9-year-old daughter to drive.

The judge delayed his decision until next Tuesday so Shawn Weimer's attorney can put his arguments in writing.

Weimer's daughter testified about driving her dad's van in the wee hours of Oct. 8. She says her father had consumed half of a bottle of whiskey. She says she agreed to drive but felt a "little scared."

The girl repeatedly cried in court Tuesday. The judge tried to calm her and offered a soft drink before calling a recess.

Weimer's attorney says the girl was a good driver and unlikely to be injured -- a key standard under a second-degree child abuse charge.