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Team coverageThree adults who were supposed to be baby-sitting a 12-year-old boy are now in jail after police say they let the boy smoke marijuana with them.
It's a concerning case of child neglect. The 12-year-old was smoking the pot with the very people who were responsible for his care. The boy's mother was out of town and had asked the men, one of whom was a relative, to care for him.
Neighbors at an RV park in American Fork could smell marijuana coming from an RV and called police Monday night. American Fork police Sgt. Gregg Ludlow said, "Officers received a citizen report that some adults in a motor home in the RV campground where possibly smoking marijuana with a 12-year-old juvenile."
Police arrived and discovered a heavy odor of marijuana in the air and three adults who appeared to have been smoking pot. Ludlow says, "It appears they were sharing and passing the pipe."
Officers then began questioning why the boy was with them and if he was there while they were using drugs. All of them, including the 12-year-old boy denied he had been smoking the pot. But police later determined the boy had also been using drugs, and he was taken into protective custody. Ludlow says, "He was released to a grandparent, and she was, of course, very upset this had happened with her grandchild."
Police arrested Travis Chatwin, Brandon Lewis and Kasia Garner on charges of possession of marijuana, paraphernalia and felony charges of child endangerment.
Unfortunately, police say it is not uncommon for children this young to experiment with drugs and believe parents must talk to their children about the dangers of drugs. "I think it is very important for parents to know what their kids are involved in and what they may be thinking about experimenting with," said Ludlow. "Just know their kids and have a good relationship with them, so they can talk openly with them and know what is going on in their lives."
Those involved in the incident have been evicted from the RV park. The suspects face court appearances next week on the charges.
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