EPHRATA, Pa.–An Ephrata man was sentenced after pleading guilty to leaving his 6-year-old daughter home alone overnight while he was out driving drunk, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s office.
Douglas D. Brewbaker, 60, will serve 3 days to 6 months in Lancaster County Prison, followed by 5 years of probation, prosecutors said.
On the night of Sept. 17, Ephrata police found Brewbaker at a liquor store on West Main Street, trying to drive after being denied service inside the store. Officers pulled him out of the car and noticed he was intoxicated. Police say he was wearing only a T-shirt around his waist as a skirt. Brewbaker later told authorities he drank a fifth of whiskey.
Testing revealed a blood-alcohol level of .264 percent – more than three times Pennsylvania’s legal limit for drivers.
The following day, police receive a call from a school resource officer who reported Brewbaker’s 6-year-old daughter never showed up at school. Police discovered she was left home alone overnight. Neighbors found her crying outside her East Walnut Street apartment about 9:30 a.m.
Lancaster County Children & Youth Services are investigating the situation. Brewbaker plead guilty to DUI and endangering a child in exchange for the sentence.
He will report to prison Friday night. If released after the minimum 3 days, he’ll serve the remainder of the 6 months on parole, according to County Judge Merrill Spahn’s sentence.
As part of the sentence, Brewbaker must complete parenting classes and is prohibited from having alcohol.
