One little boy’s quick thinking out of concern for her mother actually got her arrested. When a 3-year-old boy from Ocean Springs, Mississippi called 911 from a motel room, he was desperate for help after discovering he couldn’t wake his mother. The emergency dispatcher helped the frantic toddler remain calm until police were able to track the call to the motel where he was calling from.
Police couldn’t find the room at first, but eventually located the boy and his mother inside of a room that was being guarded a drunk man, later identified as Timothy Fairbanks, 35. Inside, the toddler was with his mother and two other drunk men, all of whom were unconscious. It turns out they had fallen asleep after heavily drinking. The two men were identified as Dustin Yates, 32, and Kristopher Wales. The officer who responded to the call woke the young mother, 26-year-old Ashley Nicole McDaniel, 26, and she then gave him permission to search the room.
The officer discovered 4 grams of marijuana and a small plastic bag loaded with methamphetamine. In calling 911, McDaniel’s son may have actually saved his own life, since digesting the drugs left in the room could have killed him. McDaniel was arrested and charged with child neglect and possession of marijuana, while Fairbanks and Wales were taken into custody and charged with possession of a controlled substance. Yates was charged with possession of paraphernalia and is currently being held on outstanding warrants.
The 3-year-old boy is now being cared for by the Department of Human Services, and although he may have a rough life right now, hopefully this incident will inspire his mother to clean up her act and provide a better life for her and her son later on.
