In a story making national tabloid news, a Highland 10-year old receiving a tattoo by an unidentified man in a motel has led to charges for the mother, intervention by Child Protective Services (CPS), and a search for the tattoo ‘artist’.
According to Town of Lloyd police, the tattoo was a six-to-eight-inch-long depiction of the child’s name, and was discovered when he went to the school nurse to have Vaseline applied.
“It’s not a professional job,” said Lloyd Police Chief James Janso.
The boy’s mother, Crystal Thomas, 33, was subsequently arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and released of her own recognizance to appear later in court. According to repots, her son and his sibling were taken by CPS workers.
Police say the mother let her son go to a motel room next door unsupervised while the tattooing was done by a man police have yet to identify, but are still searching for. Janso said the relationship between the mother and the tattooist was unclear at this time.
Anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited by law from getting a tattoo, even if the parent consents.