GREENFIELD, Ind. — A boy’s caretakers gave him marijuana as a reward for good behavior and took it away from him if he misbehaved, the boy told police.
Susan Glascock and Melissa Burton, both 36 and of Greenfield, Ind., face child neglect charges in the case. Glascock also faces a battery charge, WXIN reported.
The investigation started on June 25th, when police were called to a home in response to a disturbance. The boy had gotten into a fight with Glascock over the amount of money he and his mother made selling video games at a store, according to court documents.
Authorities said Burton–the boy’s mother–and Glascock were shouting at each other when the boy tried to defuse the situation.
As a result, he said Glascock pushed him to the ground and lay on him. He managed to get away and punched her before running away, court documents said.
Police interviewed several other people as part of the investigation, including the boy’s grandfather, who told them he was concerned that his grandson wasn’t being treated well. He said Glascock has hit the boy before and that he was sometimes given drugs.
The grandfather also said the boy didn’t have his own bedroom when he stayed with his mother and told police the boy was “in a terrible living condition and needed to be removed.” He said his grandson only acts out when he stays with Burton and Glascock.
During an interview with police, the boy said the couple gave him marijuana and taught him how to roll marijuana cigarettes.
He told investigators that the women would give him pot if he “did something good” or “ground him from marijuana” if he didn’t behave.
The boy said they’d given him pot at least 50 times in the last 90 days, according to court documents. The women admitted to giving the boy marijuana, police said.
The Hancock County Prosecutor said both women are no longer in jail and they each posted a $1,000 bond.