The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A video that made the rounds on Facebook depicting a toddler smoking what is assumed to be marijuana has resulted in her mother facing felony charges.
In a video reportedly recorded sometime between December 1 and January 31, a 1-year-old little girl is seen giggling and then what looks as if she has a small brown cigar held to her lips by an adult-sized hand. Smoke is then shown surrounding the baby’s head. The video was then uploaded to the popular social network Facebook.
The recording gained millions of views after it began circulating online, and police reported that many people notified them reporting what they had seen which prompted them to begin an investigation.
Raleigh, North Carolina, resident Brianna Ashanti Lofton, the 20-year-old mother of the girl in the video, was deemed by the Raleigh authorities as the person whose hand was seen reaching over and placing the cigarillo to the child’s lips. They also concluded that the object the youngster appeared to inhale from contained marijuana.
Wake County Child Protective Services removed the toddler from Lofton’s care.
Raleigh police obtained an arrest warrant and took Lofton into custody on Wednesday. She was booked into the Wake County Detention Center where she faced a magistrate, and she is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. Lofton is facing charges of child abuse, marijuana possession and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
One of Lofton’s neighbors that was interviewed reported that he was very surprised about the situation because he had several interactions with the child, and he believed Lofton appeared as “a regular good girl.”
If you or someone you love is suspected of child abuse, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.