Police say Indiana County woman let child vape, then recorded it
Police said an 18-year-old Indiana County woman allowed a child to vape from a Juul smoking device, recorded it and laughed as the child laid coughing on the floor.
State police at Indiana charged Berkley Noel Sutton of Shellbark Road, Armagh, with endangering the welfare of children for failing to stop the youngster from vaping while at a St. Clair Township residence on Jan. 9. The age and gender of the victim was redacted from the affidavit filed against Sutton.
Police said Sutton was with a juvenile friend who was child’s babysitter when the child attempted once to inhale from the vaping device, which contained 3% nicotine. They said the child did inhale on a second attempt. Police said Sutton failed to intervene, encouraged the vaping and recorded it.
“The victim kept continuously grabbing the Juul from the dresser in the bedroom. The defendant ‘thought it was funny and began recording the victim,’” Trooper Laken Morris wrote in his affidavit filed against Sutton.
Sutton was arraigned Friday on the charges filed before Ligonier District Magistrate Denise Snyder Thiel.
Sutton was released on her own recognizance, pending a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 7.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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