Police: Driving School Owner Let 13-Year-Old Son Drive

A Massachusetts driver’s ed instructor is accused of breaking the rules of the road, according to police in Sturbridge.

Police said Stephen Comtois, 45, who owns the Green Light Driving School, allegedly allowed his own son to get behind the wheel.

The boy is only 13-years-old.

"It’s not necessarily the end of the world," said Sturbridge resident Missy Cudgma. "People learn from their lessons, they learn from mistakes so you can’t crucify someone for it.

Cudgma said her two children are former driving students of Comtois.

"He was nothing but informative, respectful, and he taught them a lot," said Cudgma.

Police say Comtois was in the passenger seat while his son drove 8-and-a-half miles from a home in Brookfield to a shopping plaza in Sturbridge.

Investigators received a tip after Comtois posted photos of his son on Facebook, with the caption "Did just as good as his big sister".

When people started raising questions about the child’s age, he wrote, "Shhhh", according to police.

"Sounds kind of dangerous," said Sturbridge resident Peter Jarzabski. "I think that’s probably not what I would do as a parent or someone who is running a business but people make their own decisions and they have to be accountable at the end of the day for whatever they decide they’re going to do."

The driver’s ed business owner and former selectman for the town of Brookfield is now facing charges including reckless endangerment of a child and allowing improper operation.

The Department of Children and Families have also been notified to investigate.

The driving school was closed on Tuesday and no one was available for comment at the Comtois house.

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