A “brave” 11-year-old from Lawrence called the cops on his own father. The boy reportedly called the authorities, telling them there was a suitcase full of fentanyl and heroin in the house. The unidentified boy is now being commended by Lawrence police and city officials for doing the right thing even if it meant jail time for his father.
“The kid knows the difference between right and wrong. He understands that this kind of lifestyle for his father isn’t what is working,” said Lawrence police Chief James Fitzpatrick.
“He’s brave and insightful enough to know that this is a dangerous drug,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve seen over the years children exposed to this type of activity, but never having the wherewithal to contact police independently.”
The chief said the boy was with a 13-year-old cousin when he noticed the brown suitcase, which prompted him to pick up the phone.
“He called Lawrence police to show them something suspicious that he found in his father’s luggage,” Fitzpatrick said.
Yamil Mercado, 40, turned himself into Lawrence police last night, aware that he was on drug charges.
Local police said the boy’s tip led the officers to their family home Wednesday night.
In a bedroom, responding officers found a suitcase with 212 grams of suspected heroin and fentanyl packed in plastic bags, Fitzpatrick said. The street value is estimated at $8,500, according to reports.
An arrest warrant was filed yesterday morning for the boy’s father on charges of trafficking more than 200 grams of a Class A substance, and child endangerment.
“What an atrocity for an 11-year-old to be pitted against his own father like that,” Marc Laplante, vice president of the Lawrence City Council, said. “It’s a horrendous position to be in. … How brave is he to take a stand and do the right thing? I don’t even know if he’s fully cognizant of how important that is, and what he was able to accomplish by doing so.”
Source: Daily Mail