Day Care Shut Down After Child Tests Positive For THC; 'Uninhabitable' Facility Littered With Marijuana Pipes And Mouse Droppings
A California day care owner was arrested on Wednesday for child neglect and endangerment after a 2-year-old toddler tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. The facility was later shut down after local authorities deemed it “uninhabitable.”
The 2-year-old was brought to the emergency room in an unresponsive state shortly after her parents picked her up from Roubena Hartounian’s day care center in La Crescenta, Calif.
"They learned that the last person to have the kid in their care, aside from the parents, was at the day care facility,” said Sgt. Tom Lorenz of the Glendale Police Department, speaking to NY Daily News. "We are still trying to determine whether the marijuana was consumed there … if we can make that connection.”
When authorities returned with a warrant, they found the facility in “utter squalor,” with no functioning toilet or electricity. Marijuana pipes, mouse droppings, improperly stored knives, and piles of dirty dishes littered the property.
"Code enforcement officials came out to the property, and yellow tagged it as uninhabitable," Lorenz said. "Food was not properly cared for and there were knives on the counter that kids could get to."
Read More: Medical Marijuana Returns Life To 6-Year-Old
According to The Los Angeles Times, Bina’s Family and Child Care has received numerous citations from unannounced inspections in the past, with officials noting overall poor, unhygienic conditions. In one such report, a child said Hartounian pushed another child for not asking permission before going to the toilet.
Neil Zanville, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said their records indicate that no clients have used the facility since January 2012, and that the department does not refer anyone to particular day care centers.
"The fact is, we just haven't been using this facility," he said.
Hartounian is currently out on a $100,000 bail, and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 26.