Wichita police: 9 kids in SUV with driver suspected of DUI

Wichita police arrested a man suspected of driving under the influence with nine children in a large SUV, an official said Monday.

The driver was found passed out behind the wheel, police Lt. James Espinoza said. None of the children, who range in age from 5 months to 12 years old, was injured, Espinoza said.

He said he couldn’t remember a case with so many children in one vehicle and the driver suspected of being under the influence.

The man identified as being the driver had a revoked driver’s license, state records show.

Espinoza gave this account: Officers responded early Sunday to a “check-the-welfare” call in the 2400 block of South Seneca after a woman called 911, saying someone was parked in a McDonald’s drive-through at 12:30 a.m. Officers found a driver who was believed to be under the influence, Espinoza said. The motorist refused to submit to a test for substances and was arrested, Espinoza said.

Although the man had not been charged in the case as of late Monday afternoon, he was booked into jail on multiple counts of DUI, for each of the children in the vehicle, Espinoza said.

The man, identified on a police arrest sheet as Edmond Gulley, 32, of Wichita, also was booked on suspicion of child endangerment, the arrest report said.

Espinoza noted that Gulley has not been charged and should be presumed innocent. Gulley couldn’t be reached for comment.

Gulley’s license has been revoked or suspended multiple times since 1998, according to records with the Kansas Department of Revenue.

He is the father of six of the children and the uncle of three of the children in the SUV, Espinoza said.

“We’re very fortunate that a citizen took the time to call 911 for not only the children in the vehicle but the driver,” he said.

Police released the children to a family member.

This story was originally published February 2, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Wichita police: 9 kids in SUV with driver suspected of DUI."