Investigation into campground accident reveals troubled past

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Information continues to emerge about the man who ran over his family while they were sleeping in a tent.

The incident took place Wednesday at PJ Hoffmaster Park in Muskegon County.

On Friday, Newschannel 3 learned that the father has a past with child abuse.

Daniel Nichols says he was warming up his SUV when he fell asleep. He says the car accidentally rolled over the tent where his wife and two children were sleeping. Nichols' five-year-old son Mason was badly injured in the incident, but reportedly doing much better now.

However, prosecutors say that when it comes to keeping his children safe, Nichols' past has a few bumps in it.

A background search has revealed a sordid and disturbing history of the Georgia man who ran over his children.

"They were living at the park," said Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague. "They were homeless. The kids were in an unacceptable environment."

It was the safety of Nichols' children that led Tague to uncover Nichols' sordid past.

That past begins in Liberty County Georgia.

"We found out he had a prior conviction of child cruelty, where he was on felony probation," said Tague.

While he was AWOL from the military, Nichols was involved in a high speed chase. Police say that during that chase, Nichols had his son with him in the car, and the then three-year-old boy was not restrained in a car seat.

In another incident, Nichols left his then six-month-old unattended for as long as three hours at home.

Nichols and his girlfriend were both convicted of cruelty to children in the second degree in Georgia. He and the children's mother lost their parental custody. And the maternal grandmother was named their full-time guardian.

However, Tague says that he believes the grandmother, who lives in the Muskegon area, was conned to believe that Nichols was fit to be the child's parent and handed the kids back over.

"Our investigation revealed they misled the grandmother to believe that was a temporary order," said Tague. "That order was a permanent custody order."

Nichols is expected to be extradited back to Georgia. The incident in Muskegon is still under investigation.

Not only will Nichols face possible charges, but the children's mother could also face charges.