A 32-year-old Nashville man is facing multiple charges after police said he crashed a vehicle while driving drunk with his 3-year-old child inside, then tried to convince officers the wreck wasn't his fault at all. According to the arrest affidavit, Moke Matafwali told police the vehicle was an Uber and that the driver had fled the scene before officers arrived.
The single-vehicle crash happened Saturday in Nashville, according to WSMV, which reported that Metro Nashville police responded to the scene. Despite Matafwali's claim that someone else had been behind the wheel, investigators said the story didn't hold up once they started checking the details.
Police said Matafwali had the vehicle's keys in his possession and that his own phone was connected to the car's system, undercutting his account of a vanished rideshare driver. A records check also found that the vehicle was registered to Matafwali's wife, not to any rideshare company, the station's report noted.
Odor of Alcohol Led to Field Sobriety Tests
Officers reported noticing a strong odor of alcohol coming from Matafwali at the scene, according to the arrest affidavit cited by the outlet. He was taken into custody after failing field sobriety tests, and a check of his record turned up two outstanding warrants, per the same account.
What investigators flagged as most alarming, though, was the condition of the 3-year-old riding with him. According to the affidavit, the child's car seat was not properly secured at the time of the crash. Police said the combination of the improperly secured restraint and what they described as Matafwali's extreme intoxication put the child at risk of death or serious bodily injury.
Charges Filed Against Matafwali
Matafwali was charged with driving under the influence with a child, child endangerment, and violating Tennessee's child-restraint law, the station reported. The case adds to a string of recent Nashville incidents in which police have alleged that young children were improperly restrained while a parent was suspected of driving impaired.
In April, a woman was charged with DUI with a child after police said her 4-year-old son, who has autism, was found in the vehicle without a child restraint, according to Action News 5. In a separate case reported by 14 News, a 4-year-old boy was ejected from his mother's truck in a Nashville crash after not being properly buckled in, and she was arrested on charges including child neglect. A 2017 case covered by FOX 17 similarly involved a Nashville mother arrested for DUI with a child after her three-month-old son was allegedly not properly secured in his car seat.
What Tennessee Law Says About Stacked Charges
Under Tennessee law, a child endangerment conviction and its mandatory minimum sentence are meant to be entered in addition to a DUI conviction and its own mandatory minimum, according to a Tennessee Attorney General opinion addressing how the statutes work together. The opinion reflects a general legal interpretation and does not speak to how any penalties might apply in Matafwali's specific case.
