Source: Daniel Kaesler / EyeEm / Getty
Child Reported His Parents By Bringing Their Drugs To School
One elementary school student in Washington brought a bag of meth to class to turn it into his principal. The young boy brought the drugs to Edison Elementary to ask for help, according to the Kennewick Police Department and now, local authorities are praising the “brave” young boy for having the courage to turn in his own parents.
“We would like to acknowledge the courage that it took for this child to bring this information to a trusted adult at the Kennewick School District,” says a post on the Kennewick Police Department Facebook page.
The principal and an office administrator were befuddle when the child handed over what appeared to be a small plastic bag of methamphetamine. He reportedly found the drugs in his home on Wednesday morning and ended up bringing it to school because he was “afraid to return home.”
“This particular child was brave for coming to us with this,” said Lt. Aaron Clem of the Kennewick Police Department to Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s difficult, especially for an elementary school kid, to report this kind of thing when it involves a family member.”
Once the child provided additional information to a School Resource Officer about his parents’ behavior, the detectives went to his home where they found they found fetanyl pills and other drug paraphernalia. “I suspect that he had seen the drugs before, which is why he knew to bring them to school,” Clem continued.
The boy’s parents, 29-year-old Jennifer Edwards 29-year-old and Daniel O’Leary, were then arrested for possession of a controlled substance and are currently booked at the Benton County Jail.
According to local authorities, the boy and his sister have bpth been placed into protective custody and released to Child Protective Services. The Lt. said, “We hope that since he’s done this that he and his sister are going to live in a safer and environment and that the adults they get the help that they need.”
The Benton County prosecuting attorney will evaluate the case later this week to see if there are any other possible charges, like child endangerment. Clem adds that he hopes that other children who may feel unsafe at home will feel empowered to come get help from any trusted adult. “If there’s ever any elementary child, or older, that sees something at home, they can always find a trusted adult— whether it’s at school, a fire department or the police department— and get the help that they need or with any concerns that they may have.”