Ketchikan police uncovered a marijuana grow operation during a welfare check of a child reportedly kept in a cage.
Tuesday, the Ketchikan Police Department received a call from the mother of a 5-year-old who was staying with their grandparents. Police were told the child was being restrained at night.
A search warrant was issued for the home of Eric and Penny Riley on Woodside Drive, where police found the child in a cage.
“The child was located in a bedroom in an improvised cage,” police wrote in a prepared statement. “The child’s legs were secured at the ankles using tape and straps.“
Police also found 54 marijuana plants in the home, two digital scales and other materials used for packaging marijuana. A 9-year-old child was also in the home during the police search.
The 5-year-old was taken into custody by the Office of Children’s Services, but KPD Deputy Chief Josh Dossett says it was unclear how the 9-year-old was involved in the situation, and was not taken into custody.
The Rileys each face two counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in relation to the investigation into the marijuana found at the scene. Further charges relating to the treatment of the couple’s grandchild have been forwarded to the district attorney’s office for consideration, Dossett said.