Parents Arrested After Teacher Smells Pot On Boy's Backpack
HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) - A student's backpack that smelled like marijuana led police in Florida to his house, where they found a small grow house run by his parents.
Now, 41-year-old Rolando Naranjo and 33-year-old Betsy Espinoza are in jail, charged with multiple drug and child neglect charges.
The Miami Herald reports a Palm Springs Middle School teacher noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the 11-year-old boy's backpack. He notified a Miami-Dade Schools police officer.
A police report says the boy told officers there are marijuana plants in his house and his dad uses his backpack to transport the drug. He also said people go to his house to buy marijuana.
Police got a search warrant. Hialeah Sgt. Carl Zogby called conditions at the home "deplorable."
There was a total of 10 plants, weighing just over 30 pounds, along with plastic baggies for packaging, two heat seal vacuum machines and two digital scales, according to police via CBS in Miami, who also noted that the residence was within 1,000 feet of an Elementary school.
The judge in the case noted that the police report said that there was "the smell of marijuana at the exterior of the residence. The home was in disarray. There was little or no food. The refrigerator has mold inside."
The judge set bond for Naranjo at $56,000 and set bond for Espinoza at $10,000.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)