Wrong-Way Driver Busted in Downtown St. Louis Is 8 Years Old

By Andrea Arnold On Apr 17, 2024

An East St. Louis woman is in custody after her eight-year-old was stopped by police driving the wrong way in downtown St. Louis, with his mom passed out in the backseat.

Police say that Latonya Mayes-Gale, 28, was driving with her child in the car yesterday, but at some point told her young child to take the wheel.

When police stopped the vehicle near 4th and Walnut streets, Mayes-Gale was unconscious in the backseat. Another child, only 3 years old, was also in the vehicle, but not in a car seat.

Mayes-Gale was hit with two charges of endangering the welfare of a child, both felonies.

She has a bond hearing today at noon.

UPDATE: At a hearing this afternoon, Judge Heather Hays allowed Mayes-Gale to go free on bond, with the condition that she remain under house arrest and refrain from leaving her home, even for work. She is also prohibited from possessing guns and drugs or driving.

Mayes-Gale’s attorney at the bond hearing, Steven Kratky, mentioned that besides taking care of two children, she works as a home health aide and provides care for an elderly homebound grandparent. Kratky argued that while the state alleged substance abuse as a factor in the incident, he believed the underlying issues revolved more around mental health and stress.

Kratky described Mayes-Gale as “no danger to the community” and the events leading to her arrest as “exceedingly unusual.”

As a condition of her bond, Mayes-Gale must refrain from any contact with her children, who are currently residing with their father.