Police: Babysitter Drove Drunk With 4 Children In Car

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island woman has been charged with being drunk while driving around with four children she was babysitting.

State Police say 21-year-old Phyllis Lee Coates was stopped just after 1 a.m. Friday after she was seen speeding through Providence.

Troopers say they found children ages 2, 5, 7 and 11 in the car, and the three younger children were without proper seats.

State Police say Coates was babysitting while their mother was working, and one child referred to Coates as her aunt.

Police turned the children over to their stepfather, and contacted the state Department for Children, Youth and Families.

Coates was arraigned on charges including four counts of cruelty to or neglect of children, among other charges.

It was not immediately clear whether she had a lawyer.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)