Auburn Hills man accused of driving drunk in construction zone with 4-year-old son in SUV

Keron Kirkendolph charged with child endangerment, drunk driving

TROY, Mich. – Dashcam video from Troy police shows the arrest of an Auburn Hills man who is accused of driving drunk through a construction zone with his 4-year-old son in the back seat.

Troy police officers confronted Keron Kirkendolph early Saturday morning in a construction zone on I-75, according to authorities.

Authorities started to receive 911 calls just after midnight about an SUV driver who was likely drunk going through the construction zone.

“I don’t know how he got up here, but he almost hit one of my employees,” a witness said.

Troy police captured video of the incident on dash cameras.

When officers walked up to the SUV, they said they immediately smelled marijuana and alcohol. They also saw a little boy asleep across the back seat, according to officials.

“You can’t have a little kid in the car without a car seat,” police told Kirkendolph.

They asked him if he had had anything to drink that night, and he said, “I promise you, I’m good,” the video shows.

Despite telling police he was fine, Kirkendolph failed every sobriety test, authorities said. He was determined to be double the legal limit, so officers took him into custody.

He is charged with child endangerment and driving drunk, officials said.

The 4-year-old boy in the back seat is Kirkendolph’s son, police said. He is OK and was taken to his mother, who is also Kirkendolph’s fiance.

Kirkendolph’s attorney said his client is innocent until proven guilty. He said nobody was hurt and this isn’t a felony charge.

Kirkendolph has been released on bond.


About the Authors:

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.