Why some people shouldnt have children.

A six-year-old Virginia boy who tried to drive his family car to school told police that he learned to drive from playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam.

As reported by the Associated Press, the boy missed his school bus and took the keys to the family ride, a 2005 Ford Taurus. His mother was sleeping at the time. From the AP report:

He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.



"He was very intent on getting to school," said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. "When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE."

The boy's parents were subsequently charged with child endangerment by police. The boy and his four-year-old brother were placed in protective custody.

GP: Giving GTA to a six-year-old? Unbelievable...

What the pineapple. Why does the kid seem more responsible than the parents?

Have you seen the seven year old kid who stole his grandma's SUV? :|

Have you seen the seven year old kid who stole his grandma's SUV? :|

The black one? That said it looked fun to do so he did it?

The black one? That said it looked fun to do so he did it?

But Ma'W! Is fun to do bad things!

Let me get this straight....
Kid misses bus, steals mom's keys, and the parents get in trouble?
Did I miss something, because I fail to see how the parents had anything to do with it. Maybe I'm just weird, but I wouldn't ever suspect my 6 year old son to drive a car. <.<

Have to admire his determination though.

Let me get this straight....
Kid misses bus, steals mom's keys, and the parents get in trouble?
Did I miss something, because I fail to see how the parents had anything to do with it. Maybe I'm just weird, but I wouldn't ever suspect my 6 year old son to drive a car. <.<

Have to admire his determination though.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I believe the main thing you're forgetting is that the kid is 6 years old. Parents should not expect a 6 year old child to be independent and get to the bus on time. I suspect that it's not the first time that the mother was sleeping in, since the kid knew enough to get to the bus every morning.
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Ricky Bobby anyone?
I wanna go fast!

Anyways, couple of things that I noted -
GTA + 6 year old? (Maybe has older siblings not mentioned)
Mother sleeping in? (Maybe sick, thought father was taking care of them)
Kid didn't get in a major wreck (Yay video games as real world training)
Poor kid still enjoys school (Rude awakening in about 10 years?)

That's why I play games like Mario Party 8, where it teaches me to have fun with little ghosts and tall purple clothing wearing men that like to laugh at me when I don't have enough coins for the star.

You gotta admit, that kid is pretty smart.

Instead of waking up his mom, he took matters into his hands and decided to drive to school which he almost did, thanks to Grand Theft Auto.

At least he didn't think of picking up hookers and then... etc.

You gotta admit, that kid is pretty smart.

Instead of waking up his mom, he took matters into his hands and decided to drive to school which he almost did, thanks to Grand Theft Auto.

At least he didn't think of picking up hookers and then... etc.

I don't pick up the hookers in GTA, they come to me!

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Better source.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...eheadlines
[/COLOR]

The word "miracle" can be overused. But when a 6-year-old boy drives a Ford Taurus for more than 10 miles, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic, slams into a utility pole and no one gets hurt, well, maybe miracle is appropriate.

That's what happened on Virginia's Northern Neck on Monday morning, when the first-grader missed his school bus and decided to drive his mom's car to elementary school so he wouldn't miss breakfast and PE, authorities said yesterday.

"It's a miracle that somebody didn't get killed," said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins of the boy's drive along Northumberland Highway. "We're a rural area, but if we do have a rush hour, that's it."

The boy's parents were arrested and charged with felony child endangerment. Wilkins said the father, David E. Dodson, 40, was under a court order not to leave the 6-year-old and his 4-year-old brother alone with their mother, Jacqulyn D. Waltman, 26, at their home in the town of Wicomico Church. But Dodson left for work at 6:30 a.m., and Waltman was still asleep when the 6-year-old missed the bus and then drove off at 7:40 a.m. for Northumberland Elementary School, Wilkins said.

Sgt. Thomas A. Cunningham Jr. of the Virginia State Police said the boy is not particularly tall for his age and was "possibly standing" while driving the Taurus. Wilkins said the child had an idea about how to start, propel and steer the car from playing video games.

Once he got going, the boy navigated his way along Route 200 (Dupont Highway), across a bridge spanning the Great Wicomico River and then turned west on Northumberland Highway, which is about 140 miles from Washington. He made it through two intersections, Wilkins said, and then was "doing a pretty great rate of speed" as he passed cars on the two-lane road while not wearing a seat belt.

Other drivers noticed. Two people called the sheriff's office, one called the state police and at least one motorist "shouted at him to get off the road when he came to an intersection," Cunningham said.

The boy had gone 10.4 miles, the sheriff said, and was about a mile and a half from his school in Heathsville when he decided to cross the double line and pass again. But this time, he saw a tractor-trailer coming toward him in the other lane.

He quickly whipped the car back into his lane, but, unlike in video games, the car swerved out of control, skidded into an embankment and then struck a utility pole on the rear passenger side. Wilkins said the force of the impact cracked a wooden beam on top of the utility pole. The Taurus was severely damaged, if not totaled, Cunningham said.

Northumberland deputies Jeff VanLandingham and Roger Briney arrived first. "He was crying, hysterical," Briney said, "not from any pain -- he was just adrenalined up on fright." Briney said another motorist said she was driving 60 mph when the boy zoomed past her.

Briney said he unzipped the boy's coat to check for injuries, found none and zipped it back up -- and the boy turned and walked away. "I said, 'Where are you going?' " Briney said. "He said: 'My school's right over there. I'm late.' I said, 'We'll get you to school.' "

"He was just bound and determined," Wilkins said, "he did not want to miss breakfast and PE." The meal "may have been his primary goal," the sheriff said. The sheriff said the boy told him that he had trained on video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam.

The boy was taken to Rappahannock General Hospital, was released and was back in school for PE that afternoon. He was not identified because he is, well, 6. The boy and his brother were placed in foster care; his mother was in jail, officials said.

"We were just very blessed that it ended the way it did," said Theresa Larsen, assistant principal at the boy's school. Larsen said the school's principal, Arnette Butler, asked the boy, "What were you thinking?" He looked up and told her, "I just had to get to school."

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.

I love how the parents are to blame though the kid stole the car and little Jimmy is 100% innocent.

Wow, GTA irl!!! He stole the car, rofl.

Oh God. Here comes the "BANNZ0RS TEH VIDEU GAMS!!!" groups.

Seriously, why was a 6 year old playing GTA anyway? Also, I had the right of mind at 6 to not drive a car. I lost that mentality at like 4.

Oh God. Here comes the "BANNZ0RS TEH VIDEU GAMS!!!" groups.

Well, he may very well have stolen the car either way, but then died horrible not knowing how it works. Video game saved his life. :O
^- Dat's our response to the anti Video Game nibs.

Oh God. Here comes the "BANNZ0RS TEH VIDEU GAMS!!!" groups.

Seriously, why was a 6 year old playing GTA anyway? Also, I had the right of mind at 6 to not drive a car. I lost that mentality at like 4.

This is what I'm thinking the whole time I read this too. Never mind the fact that his parents are horribly negligent and they were likely using said video game as a babysitter substitute. Forget that he was trying to get to SCHOOL so that he might get to eat that day, or that he made it almost all the way there safely. They will lock on to the fact that he mentioned video games (which were way too mature for him and further prove the parental apathy he's live with) and use this story to push forward their pathetic little agenda :/

Well, I live 3 blocks from my school, until I started highschool last year, but by then my brother was driving me...

I PRAISE THAT KID!
10.4 miles at 6...

Great lulz right there

I'm scared to back out of the garage and this kid fricken drives 10 miles to school???

goddammit. I better start training on them video games >.>

wtp is the kid doing with GTA anyway? It's rated M for a reason...

GG parents...

Oh God. Here comes the "BANNZ0RS TEH VIDEU GAMS!!!" groups.

Seriously, why was a 6 year old playing GTA anyway? Also, I had the right of mind at 6 to not drive a car. I lost that mentality at like 4.

1/a hype @ school
2/ parents were just lazy to entertain their kid and let them watch tv/play watever computer games they want

Well, I live 3 blocks from my school, until I started highschool last year, but by then my brother was driving me...

I PRAISE THAT KID!
10.4 miles at 6...

Isn't that like 20-25 minutes at the speed limit?
Wait, he had to be going over four times the speed limit. XD
5-6 minutes. Dang, that kids a fekking genius.