Barefoot Kids Jump From Moving Minivan to Escape Drunken Stepfather: Cops

JOLIET, IL — Two barefoot young girls jumped out of a moving minivan to get away from their drunken stepfather, police said.

The children, ages 8 and 9, had no shoes or coats when they leaped out of the slowly moving minivan on Stryker Avenue near McDonough Street shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday.

The police were called and reportedly found the children in the street, screaming and crying. They reportedly explained that they were frightened of their drunken stepfather and that their younger brothers, ages 4 and 6, were still with him in the minivan.

Officers searched for the vehicle and found it in less than half an hour, parked outside a residence on McDonough near Dewey Street. The boys were reportedly there, as was their father, 32-year-old Sergio Mayen, and their mother, Brandi Bell, 31. Bell was drunk too, police said.

Police called the Department of Children and Family Services, and they took custody of the two boys and two girls.

Mayen was arrested and jailed on charges of endangering the life or health of a child, reckless conduct, aggravated driving under the influence, and driving with a revoked or suspended license.

Bell was arrested on a charge of endangering the life or health of a child. She was released on her own recognizance.

Mayen lives at the McDonough Street house where the minivan was found, according to jail records. The police said he and Bell live in smalltown Cullom near Pontiac and were “too intoxicated to tell” why they were in Joliet.