NEW YORK — On Thursday afternoon, New York State Police stopped a vehicle on Route 32 in New Scotland. The driver was found with an ashtray, containing the butt ends of several rolled joints.
While one trooper interviewed the driver outside the car, a second trooper checked on a 3-year-old girl in the back seat, who was not in a proper child safety restraint. The little girl reached under the front seat and retrieved a zippered pouch. She opened it and held it up, so the trooper could see the contents. The pouch contained a bag of marijuana and a metal grinding device and smoking pipe, both containing the drug. The child gave the pouch to the trooper, who secured it as evidence. As a result of this startling discovery, both the driver, 26-year-old Scott Hill and the adult passenger, 33-year-old Megan Karl, each of Clarksville, were arrested for Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Hill was also charged with Unlawful Possession of Marijuana.
The little girl was turned over to relatives and Albany County Child Protective Services was notified of the arrests. Hill and Karl were arraigned in the New Scotland Town Court. Hill was released to the supervision of Albany County Probation and Karl was released on her own recognizance. The pair are scheduled to return to court at a future date.
