Man let 12-year-old drive Jeep at 85 mph to be “cool”

It’s tempting to give children whatever they ask for. In our roles as parents or minders we may well reason that this is a surefire route to the easy life – with the added bonus of buying us more cred with those who are the future.

But, as a Florida man demonstrated on Monday, there should be limits on what we are willing to do to garner approval and get down with the kids.

Shaun Michaelsen, 41, faces felony charges after he allegedly allowed a 12-year-old girl to drive his SUV and encouraged her to speed. The motive? He said he wanted to be a “cool father,” despite not being related to the youngster.

A police officer discovered the juvenile driver at the wheel when he pulled over Michaelsen’s speeding vehicle in the early hours of Monday morning.

Michaelsen claimed the girl had asked earlier in the day if she could drive his Jeep, so he thought “it would be cool” and that he was trying to be a “cool father,” according to an arrest report obtained by The Associated Press.

He also explained that he was friends with the girl’s mother and that the girl and her friend were staying with him for a few days, according to court records.

Officer Craig Yochum was on patrol in the town of Jupiter at around 12.10 a.m. Monday when he noticed the Jeep make an illegal U-turn and then speed away.

As Yochum raced off in pursuit the Jeep reached speeds of 85 mph (135 kph) in a 45 mph (70 kph) zone before he was eventually able to pull it over.

When the officer asked the 12-year-old why she had been driving so fast she said Michaelsen told her to.

Michaelsen additionally claimed to police that he had been drinking, according to court records.

The 41-year-old has been charged with child neglect and allowing an unauthorized person to drive.

He also faces a futher charge for causing a minor to become a delinquent after allegedly buying the girl and her friend vape pens, which he claims they requested, according to authorities.

Michaelsen was being held without bond Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail.

Court records do not indicate if he has an attorney, or whether his popularity with the kids has taken a hit since his arrest.