A Wilkes-Barre woman has been charged with child endangerment and corruption of minors following a strange incident that occurred at the Royal Farms in Towamencin Township last month.
Aubrey Brown, 18, has been charged with misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as a summary count of permitting an unlicensed driver to operate a vehicle, in connection with the July 17 incident.
According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the 1700 block of Sumneytown Pike at 12:39 a.m. for a report of two unconscious subjects inside of a vehicle. Arriving officers found an unresponsive 14-year-old boy behind the wheel of a white Ford Fusion, along with Brown, who was sleeping in the passenger seat, the report states.
Police said they were able to wake up Brown, as well as the boy, and both declined needing medical attention. The report states that Brown was confused and apologetic, and when asked what her relationship was to the juvenile boy, she replied “best friends.”
Brown reportedly told investigators that she and the boy had travelled to Philadelphia earlier and had rented a hotel room somewhere in the city, police said. She added that they were on their way home to Wilkes-Barre but had made a stop at the Walmart on Sumneytown Pike in Lower Salford, according to the report.
From there, Brown let the boy drive to the Royal Farms near the turnpike exit, where they fell asleep in the vehicle, according to the complaint.
Investigators said there was a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle, and marijuana residue was visible on the passenger floorboard. A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple bags of marijuana, as well as drug paraphernalia and an empty bag of THC edibles, according to the complaint.
Police said the boy admitted to driving from Walmart, and appeared to be lethargic with bloodshot eyes. The boy then failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody for driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
Brown was arraigned on July 17 by District Judge Edward Kropp Sr., who set bail at $10,000 unsecured. She was then released from custody and her next appearance is a preliminary hearing on Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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