Police arrested three adults after a tip-off and found three children under eight locked-up in the back of a U-Haul on Interstate 40 in Cocke County, Tennessee.
Tennessee Highway Patrol officials stopped the truck after police had received the tip-off. A witness saw the children being locked up in the cargo area of the truck at the I-40 446 welcome center, according to WBIR.
When the officers held up the truck, strong fumes of marijuana emanated from the cabin. Troopers asked about the origin of the smell, and one of the adults presented a small portion of marijuana, according to WBIR. Upon further investigation, cocaine, crystal meth, and drug paraphernalia were discovered.
The three adults, Lakista Williams, Willie Green Jr., and Eric Larue, all from Hendersonville, North Carolina, were taken into custody. They face charges of child endangerment and drug possession. One of them also faces charges for driving without a license and failing to maintain the lane of travel.
Several people took to social media to comment on this event.
Vina Sells, a Facebook user, said: “When my sons were young people started trying to be their children’s ‘friend.’ Those children grew up with a friend and have children of their own now. They have no idea of how to parent. They grew up with little to no discipline. They have no clue of right and wrong. They have no sense of consequences to their actions. They can not give their own children guidance because they never had it. Sadly this situation is the product if the children that grew up with their parents being their ‘friend.'”
Melissa Taylor, another commenter, said: “These children will suffer the rest of there lives. While the ones that committed this Horrible Grime will sit in an air conditioned & heated room with 3meals [sic] per day Free clothing medical care phone calks Internet Education program and much more, while them children suffer mentally and emotionally and physically for the rest of there lives [sic].”
Rental trucks, like those of U-Haul, are regularly the subject of shadowy crime-related stories. On April 10, The Epoch Times reported:
Alleged Plot to Drive Truck Into Pedestrians in Maryland
A Maryland man inspired by a 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, France, has been detained for allegedly plotting to drive a stolen truck into a crowd of pedestrians at a busy shopping and entertainment complex alongside the Potomac River in hopes of creating “panic and chaos,” the U.S. Justice Department said April 8.
U.S. foils alleged plot to drive stolen truck into pedestrians in Maryland A Maryland man inspired by a 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, France, has been detained for allegedly plotting to drive a stolen truck into pedestrians at a busy sho… https://t.co/Q3NxXAokab #USNews #USRC pic.twitter.com/J7foi1wjuB
— U.S. Reality Check???? (@USRealityCheck) April 8, 2019
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said it charged 28-year-old Rondell Henry of Germantown, Maryland, with interstate commerce transportation of a stolen vehicle.
In its criminal complaint, the government said that on March 26, the Alexandria Police Department in Virginia received a report about a leased U-Haul truck that was stolen from a nearby mall.
The driver who rented the truck initially reported seeing a man in a blue BMW follow the U-Haul off Interstate 395 and park in a space near the U-Haul at the mall. When police arrived at the mall, they found the BMW still parked there and discovered it was registered to Henry.
A day later, the stolen U-Haul was found in National Harbor. Video surveillance showed Henry parking and getting out of the truck. He was arrested the next day.
Reuters contributed to this report.
