(NBC News) A Georgia father is behind bars accused of letting his toddler of get drunk while he was sleeping off his own intoxication.
According to Gainesville police, the 3-year-old boy was under the care of his father, 20-year-old Marcus Daniel Allen, on May 7 when authorities got a call from a family member.
That family member came home and found Allen unresponsive in his bedroom and the toddler acting abnormally and smelling of alcohol. Allen himself is also under the legal drinking age.
Police say Allen had drunk himself into unconsciousness on a fruity, mixed alcoholic cocktail that was in a water bottle with a straw. When police got to the house, they realized the child had been sipping the cocktail while the father was passed out.
"I think it could have been a lot worse had they not come home when they did," said Gainesville Police Deputy Chief Jay Parrish. "Had the child ingested more alcohol, it could have been fatal."
