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Ohio woman allowed 6-year-old to drink alcohol in gas station, deputies say

HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A woman is facing charges in Ohio after investigators said surveillance video shows a child drinking alcohol at a gas station.

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Victoria Hampton was arrested and charged with child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a child, according to jail records.

Deputies with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office were initially called to a gas station in Hanover Township after witnesses reported seeing the child opening a Smirnoff Ice and drinking it in the store, WKRC reported.

Video from the gas station shows the child, identified only as a 6-year-old boy, getting out of a car at the gas station, sipping alcohol in the parking lot, and then going into the store holding a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, which he sips from several times, WLWT reported.

“My co-worker was like, ‘Is he drinking a beer?’ I turn and look and am like, ‘Oh, he is,’” Olivia Eversole, a gas station employee, told WLWT.

Investigators said witnesses reported the child offering the drink to at least one other customer, WKRC reported.

“I said, ‘DO you know that you’re drinking a beer?’ and he said, ‘Yup, this is me and my mommy’s favorite beer. We drink it all the time,’” Eversole told WLWT. “Instantly I knew, give me my phone. I’m calling 911.”

Eversole said that she told the boy to find items to buy to keep him occupied until deputies arrived.

“He got donuts and some candy and some toothpaste and some mouthwash and said he was super excited to use it,” Eversole told WLWT. “He did point at dip, chewing tobacco, and said, ‘That one’s my favorite one. I haven’t tried this one yet. My mommy hasn’t let me try that one yet, but I like this one the best.’”

When deputies arrived, the adult in the car with the child, identified as Victoria Hampton, said the incident was an accident and left, WLWT reported.

Deputies later went to Hampton’s home, where they told WKRC that they found the boy in the middle of the road on a scooter, holding another Smirnoff Ice in his hand.

Investigators did not specify Hampton’s relationship with the child.