Dec 18, 2007 2:30 am US/Pacific
Woman Allegedly Gives Laughing Gas To Son, Friends
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (CBS) ―
A 28-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly providing nitrous oxide gas to her 13-year-old son and his friends to inhale, authorities said.
Maria Antonia Mendez was arrested about 5 p.m. Monday at her residence in the 1300 block of West Sumner Avenue, said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Evan Petersen.
School Resource officers from the Lake Elsinore sheriff's station received a tip Monday morning that alleged child endangerment was occurring at the residence, he said.
Sheriff's and Child Protective Services investigators obtained a warrant and searched the suspect's residence, Petersen said.
Detectives discovered several items of evidence related to inhalation of nitrous oxide gas. Nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas and is used in dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effect, he said.
Mendez was found to have been providing and transporting nitrous oxide gas and inhaling it with her 13-year-old son and his friends, Petersen added.
Child Protective Services was called to the scene because Mendez had additional children living at the location, he said.
Mendez was booked at the Southwest Detention Center on multiple counts of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of minors, Petersen said.
Anyone with information on the incident or ongoing investigation was asked to call Deputy Sylvia Arellano of the Lake Elsinore sheriff's station at (951) 245-3300.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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