Tennessee woman charged with forcing son to smoke a cigarette to teach him ‘not to smoke’

Woman accused of forcing son to smoke in ‘lesson’

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — An East Tennessee woman has been charged with forcing her 5-year-old son to smoke a cigarette. A Carter County deputy told the Johnson City Press that a 24-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday night on charges of child abuse and neglect, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana. A jail officer said the woman was being held on a $12,500 bond. Jail records did not show if the woman hired a lawyer.

Deputy Cory Tidwell said that in response to a complaint by a witness he stopped the woman in a car and she told him she she had forced her son to smoke a cigarette because “she was teaching him not to smoke.”

Tidwell also said he found a small bag of marijuana in the car.

Information from: Johnson City Press, www.johnsoncitypress.com