A 30-year-old Jonesboro woman has been charged with multiple counts of child endangerment after allegedly driving an SUV with seven children while intoxicated.
Just before 2:20 a.m. May 24, a red Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Krystal Tierra Griffis appeared to make a “quick jerk movement” as it approached the I-75 South exit ramp to Hudson Bridge Road, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A Henry County police officer stopped the SUV and “could smell a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from the vehicle and an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Ms. Griffis’ breath as she spoke,” authorities said.
The officer also noticed a man in the passenger seat and seven children between the ages of 10 months old and 12 years old in the back of the vehicle. Four of the children were in the back seat; three others were in the cargo area. None of them appeared to have on seat belts, the officer said.
The 10-month-old was in a car seat that “was not buckled to the seat and the baby was not strapped into the car seat,” according to the incident report.
Griffis and the man in the vehicle, identified as 27-year-old Darius Edwards of Atlanta, told police they did not have any marijuana on them.
“Upon a probable cause search of the vehicle,” the officer stated in the report, “I began to locate loose raw marijuana throughout the vehicle. I then began to find loose marijuana in the hair and clothing of all the children inside the vehicle.”
Police believe Edwards or Griffis attempted to throw the marijuana out the window, but it blew back into the vehicle and covered the children. Griffis’ blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, according to the report.
In addition to seven counts of child endangerment by DUI, Griffis was charged with DUI, possession of marijuana, driving on a suspended license, providing law enforcement with a false name and date of birth, three counts of seat belt violations and four counts of child safety restraint violations, police said. She was released from the Henry County jail on $18,000 bond.
Edwards was charged with possession of marijuana, according to the report. He was released from the jail on $800 bond.
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