MUNCIE, Ind. -- A Muncie man is facing preliminary charges of neglect after he put a 12-year-old girl behind the wheel of his van in an attempt to avoid a drunken driving arrest, police said.

James Storie, 32, was pulled over Tuesday night by Delaware County sheriff's Deputy Bill Curtis. But by the time Curtis approached the vehicle, he found Storie's girlfriend's daughter in the driver's seat.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe a 12-year-old was driving, and an adult was in the passenger seat," Curtis told 6News' Derrik Thomas.

Storie later admitted to driving the van, Curtis said, and registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent.

Storie's girlfriend, Jennifer Roberts, who also owns the van, defended her boyfriend to Thomas on Friday.

"He let her drive. She was going to drive around the block. He wasn't trying to avoid arrest, he didn't see the police," she said. "She is a great driver. She's driven 20 times before."

Storie was preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent and driving while intoxicated. He was being held on $7,500 bond Friday.