The first time Ohio deputies saw a 6-year-old boy with “an open Smirnoff Ice in his hand,” they say a woman acting as his mom said she didn’t realize he had just grabbed one of her drinks.
When the same child was later found riding a scooter while holding another Smirnoff Ice, the woman was arrested, according to an incident report from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy had told authorities the woman — a friend of his dad — “has been giving him Smirnoff’s regularly and that it helps him sleep at night,” according to the report.
An investigation into the woman began when deputies were called to the Marathon Gas Station at about 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 for a welfare check.
As they were speaking with Victoria Hampton, authorities say the boy came running toward them with an open Smirnoff Ice.
“I asked (her) if she knew her son was inside the store and she stated yes but did not realize he had grabbed one of her Smirnoff’s she had just bought from the store,” a deputy said in the report. They explained to her the “possible consequences” of him drinking alcohol and “advised her she needs to pay closer attention” to the child.
Authorities say the boy told them he had opened the alcoholic drink with his mouth, and Hampton apologized. After she threw the drink away, they were free to return home.
Soon after, convenience store management told the sheriff’s office they wanted the woman banned from the business. Authorities went to her home, where they found the same child — with another open Smirnoff Ice — riding his scooter in the trailer park. He was unsupervised.
A deputy speaking with the boy learned the woman was “regularly” giving him alcohol, according to the report.
During the investigation, the child’s father arrived at the home and informed authorities that Hampton was not actually the boy’s mother. Rather, she was described as a “friend” he moved in with a few weeks before “to help her out because she had been going through hard times.”
He told investigators “he had no idea this had been going on because he had been at work all day,” according to the report.
The child’s biological mother was also contacted and informed of the situation, authorities said. The 6-year-old was taken to her home because his dad was being booked into jail on traffic warrants out of Miami Township.
Hampton, of Hamilton, was also arrested and faces charges of endangering children and contributing to the unruliness/delinquency of a child, the report states.
Children Services was contacted and is conducting its own investigation.
Hamilton is about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.
Lord help us……..they walk among us………What a shame they don’t have to wear signs that tell us they are EVIL.