An 8-year-old Ohio boy with a craving for a cheeseburger drove himself and his 4-year-old sister to McDonald’s Sunday night after learning how to drive by watching YouTube videos. Police arrived at the McDonald’s in East Palestine, Ohio, around 8 p.m. Sunday after receiving multiple calls from people who saw the young boy driving, the Weirton Daily Times reported. According to authorities, the children headed to McDonald’s after their parents fell asleep early.
During the mile and a half road trip, the 8-year-old obeyed all traffic laws and drove “effortlessly” through downtown, East Palestine Patrolman Jacob Koehler told the Times.
“He didn’t hit a single thing on the way there. It was unreal,” he said.
The 8-year-old used money from his piggy bank to pay for the food.
“The workers thought that the parents were in the back, but obviously they weren’t,” Koehler said.
A family friend who was inside the restaurant spotted the children and called their grandparent’s, who later picked them up.
No charges were filed and the kids were able to eat their McDonald's while waiting for their grandparents, the Times reported.
“I think there is a good teaching point here. With the way technology is any more kids will learn how to do anything and everything,” Koehler told the Times. “This kid learned how to drive on YouTube. He probably looked it up for five minutes and then said it was time to go.”
I thought this was a funny story. Happily, no one was injured, and no property damage occurred. It is also noteworthy that East Palestine Patrolman Jacob Koehler responded as a sane officer would. He should be honored, and held up as a first rate example of a fine officer! I started to post this under "Watching the Cops " as a good example, but decided would just put it under US News.
