[1]Police say a cell phone video provided them shows mom offering son marijuana from bong. / Courtesy image Centralia Police Department. See Kirotv.com video [2]
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Prosecutors charged the Centralia mother accused of giving her toddler a hit from a marijuana water pipe with a crime today, one that could easily give her about five years in prison if she is convicted as charged.
Rachelle L. Braaten, 24, remains in the Lewis County Jail following her arrest on Friday. Prosecutors say an anonymous video provided to police shows her holding a so-called bong while her now 2-year-old son put his mouth near its top, then coughs.
She allegedly told officers it happened four or five months ago.
Braaten is charged with a class B felony, which for a person like Braaten who has no criminal history has a standard sentencing range of 51 to 68 months, according to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke.
The offense has a long name: delivery of a controlled substance by a person over 18 to a person under 18, domestic violence.
It’s a serious charge, O’Rourke said.
The potential penalty is high because it involves a child, O’Rourke said. The maximum penalty is 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
The mother of two appeared briefly this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
O’Rourke told the judge the little boy is with his paternal grandmother. Both of her sons were taken by Child Protective Services on Friday. No mention was made today of the 5-year-old’s whereabouts.
Judge Nelson Hunt gave Braaten a court appointed defense attorney and scheduled her arraignment for Thursday.
She remains jailed on $20,000 bail.
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For background, read “Prosecutors: Centralia father released, mother faces possible charge for alleged bong-smoking baby” from Monday March 11, 2013, here [3]