Texas State Student Loses License After Underage DUI, Decides to Drive Barbie Car to Get Around
Recently, Texas State college student, Tara Monroe, chose to go to the extreme and make light of her DUI charge by purchasing a Barbie Jeep to get around campus after she lost her driver’s license for underage DUI charges.
“This is the best way I could have gotten my 15 minutes of fame,” she said. “Basically, it was the best decision I’ve made in college, yet.”
Monroe is a 20-year-old junior at Texas State, majoring in industrial engineering. She went to a Waka Flocka concert on March 4th, and afterwards a police officer pulled her over for a suspected DUI. Monroe refused the breathalyzer, and the officer booked her in jail. Her license was suspended for at least 6 months (no news reports say for sure if she was actually drunk or not), and her father picked her up.
As punishment for her DUI charges, her father took her car, and dropped her off back at campus with a bicycle.
“Riding a bike around campus sucks,” she said in an interview.
Either as a goofy prank, a statement against her DUI charges, or some other reason, Monroe decided to hunt down a classic children’s toy – an electric-powered, 5-mph-maximum, bright girly pink, Barbie Jeep.
After perusing craigslist, Monroe found the perfect Barbie car and went to “test drive” it. When she arrived, the previous owner – a little girl named Charlene – asked Monroe where the “little one” was.
“I am the little one,” Monroe replied. She purchased the vehicle for $60 and named it Charlene in honor of the previous owner.
“Most people don’t find the things me and my friends do very funny, just immature, so I didn’t expect to get this big of a reaction,” she said. “People who don’t know me are shocked but my friends weren’t even surprised because I do stuff like this all the time.”
Monroe has become a celebrity both around campus and on the internet for her defiant vehicle driving. Fortunately, neither adults nor children need to have a driver’s license to operate a Barbie Jeep.
As we have reported on a number of occasions, South Carolina has a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking. If you are under the age of 21, you can be charged with a DUI if your blood alcohol is .02 or higher. An underage DUI conviction can be life changing, resulting in the loss of financial scholarships as well as professional damage. That being said, if you are underage and accused of a DUI, you should not lose hope. Talking with a South Carolina DUI attorney can put your mind at ease.
