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Mom charged for huffing air
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A mother has been hit with child neglect charges after she was caught huffing fumes in the Walmart parking lot with her 1-year-old in the car.The mother, Sarah M. Burks, 26, was charged with child neglect and inhaling for unlawful purposes after police were dispatched to Walmart to check out a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot.“The complainant advised that a female had been sitting inside of the vehicle for over an hour with the vehicle running,” said McMinnville police officer Katelyn Neal, noting she found the woman sitting in the front seat of the vehicle when she arrived. “I also observed a small child asleep in the back seat.”The officer said she immediately noticed Burks had dilated pupils and was disoriented and confused. Burks reportedly admitted to huffing canned air.“She admitted to huffing canned air while sitting in the parking lot with her daughter inside the vehicle,” Neal said.The officer then conducted a search of the vehicle and found evidence to support Burks’ contention that she was huffing to get high.“I found two cans of air, one was still cold and wet and the other was empty,” Neal said.Abuse of compressed air as an intoxicant is a growing problem, especially among teens and young adults.