Mom endangers child during drunken ride

Bloomsburg, Pa. — A mother is facing charges after she reportedly got into a truck with her one-year-old child, knowing the driver was drunk.

Kendra Marie Hess, 21, admitted she knew the driver, 23-year-old Matthew Isaiah Hess, was drunk when she got into his pickup truck after a truck show at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds on July 14, police say.

Hess, who also didn't have her daughter in a child safety seat, was drunk and slurring her words when police stopped the vehicle along Bentley Drive in Scott Township around 10:30 p.m.

Here's what police say happened:

Witnesses contacted police after seeing Matthew Hess, along with Kendra Hess, the child, and another passenger get into a truck and leave the fairgrounds. The witness believed Matthew Hess was intoxicated.

Using the witness's description, Scott Township Officer Josh Grassley was able to track down the pickup truck on Central Road and followed behind as it as the driver swerved over the double yellow line and made a wide right turn onto Bentley Drive.

Grassley stopped the vehicle and noticed Matthew Hess had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. Hess denied drinking anything, but a blood alcohol test later determined his alcohol level was .18, more than twice the legal limit of .08 for drivers.

Kendra Hess and her daughter were in the back seat, with the child unrestrained. Hess was slurring her words and could not remember her date of birth, Grassley noted. She admitted she knew Matthew Hess had been drinking all day before they got in his truck.

Kendra Hess, Blue Springs Terrace, Danville, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Matthew Hess, First Street, Nescopeck, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, DUI, disregarding traffic lanes, improper tires, and failing to restrain a small child.

Kendra Hess docket sheet

Matthew Hess docket sheet