Police find one-year-old boy with 'droopy eyes' after he took a hit from aunt's marijuana vape pen

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A Texas woman has been arrested after her 1-year-old nephew inhaled from her marijuana vape pen, according to authorities.
Vianney Alyssa Acosta, 20, is facing charges of child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said. Officials have not confirmed how much THC the child may have consumed.
The incident occurred on May 16 when emergency responders were called to a home on Walker Post Avenue in east El Paso for a toddler who was having difficulty breathing.
A criminal complaint later stated the child had been 'smoking a THC vape,' according to the El Paso Times.
When deputies arrived the boy was inconsolable, they said. He 'had droopy eyes and was trying to go to sleep,' the affidavit states.
The child's father, grandmother, and Acosta were home at the time, while his mother was at work.
According to the affidavit, the grandmother said she had stepped into the bathroom when Acosta heard the child coughing and found him in her bedroom holding the vape.
The grandmother told deputies the device contained 'weed' and belonged to Acosta. When asked if she knew her daughter used THC vapes, she allegedly responded: 'Well she's 20.'
Acosta told deputies she had left the vape in her room and believed it was out of reach.
She 'right away stated that she had her THC vape somewhere in her room where she thought the victim couldn't reach it,' a deputy noted in the report.
Acosta then brought deputies into her bedroom and pointed out the spot where she had left her vape — on top of a nightstand she believed was out of the toddler's reach.
The nightstand stood about two feet tall, investigators noted.
Acosta acknowledged that her nephew 'has ways to get on the bed to reach out for things' and admitted the vape 'was out in the open with just miscellaneous items on top covering it,' according to the affidavit.
Although she didn't see the child actually use the pen, Acosta told deputies she assumed he had because 'he was red; coughing and observed a little bit of smoke,' which she identified as typical 'side effects of using THC vapes.'
When asked to clarify those effects, she reportedly explained: 'It makes you cough because it burns your throat.'
She also claimed she believed the vape was not working at the time, telling deputies it was likely not charged and had already run out of THC.
Meanwhile, the boy's father told deputies he had no idea what had happened.
He said he had been in the garage working on his car and only realized something was wrong when he saw a patrol car pull up outside.
A deputy noted during the interview that the toddler, who was in his father's arms, had 'glassy eyes' and 'appeared to be lethargic.'
According to the father, the child's grandmother informed him after the fact that his son had 'hit a vape pen.'
Deputies then transported the boy and his father to The Hospitals of Providence East, where a urine test confirmed the presence of THC, authorities said.
Acosta was taken into custody on May 21 and booked into the El Paso County Jail. She was released later that day on $6,000 bond.