A 17-year-old babysitter identified as Naledi Roberts has been
charged with child abuse after allegedly forcing a toddler to inhale
cannabis from a lit joint.
In the video she
recorded, Roberts was seen placing the lit joint in the one-year-old
girl's mouth who inhaled as the embers at the end of the cigarette
glowed brighter. She then took it out of the child's mouth and placed it
into her own before inhaling.
Daily Mail
reported that Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Roberts on
Friday, March 24, after detectives discovered the footage she had
recorded.
Upon being questioned, Roberts
admitted to smoking marijuana near the tot, who she was babysitting for
her 16-year-old friend. However, after she was confronted with the
footage, Roberts went on to admit she had put the joint into the child's
mouth.
Roberts was then arrested by officers
and charged with one count of felony child abuse. She was taken to the
Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Centre. She has since refused to explain
why she put the drug into the child's mouth.
Pinellas
County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman told the Daily Mail that the child
did not appear to have suffered from any long-lasting injuries from the
incident.
Roberts has no prior criminal history,
apart from two traffic violations. She was found driving with a learner
permit without a person aged 21 or over in the passenger seat in
October 2021 and in December 2022. She paid two fines of $166 for each
offence.
