FLEMINGTON, W.Va — A West Virginia man is accused of allowing a 12-year-old child to drive him to a Dollar General store, authorities said.
Clayton James McCune, 51, of Galloway, was arrested on Thursday and charged with child neglect creating risk of injury, according to West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation online booking records.
According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a Dollar General store in Flemington at about 10 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, WBOY-TV reported.
Man charged after allegedly letting child drive his vehicle in Taylor County https://t.co/ANFK6Z0Yqu
— WBOY 12News (@WBOY12News) October 13, 2023
Deputies said they were told that “a 9-10-year-old driver” was driving a vehicle with a man, later identified as McCune, inside the car, according to the television station. Deputies were told that the motorist “was all over the roadway.”
Deputies said that a worker at the Dollar General received a call from a customer who said the vehicle “almost hit them, as well,” WBOY reported.
According to a criminal complaint, deputies found McCune behind the wheel of the vehicle and attempting to leave the parking lot of the store, WDTV reported. The 12-year-old was in the passenger seat.
According to court documents, McCune allegedly told deputies that he allowed the child to “pull into the parking lot " of the store. He later allegedly admitted that the 12-year-old drove to the Dollar General from the former site of Flemington High School, a drive that covered between one and two miles, the television station reported.
McCune was arrested and is currently being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail in Bellington, WVNews reported. Bail was set at $15,000.
