GREENFIELD — A boy told police two women who cared for him would reward him with marijuana if he was well behaved and ground him from the drug if he was bad, according to court documents.
Now, the two women face criminal charges, accusing them of neglect of a dependent.
Susan Glascock and Melissa Burton, both 36, of Greenfield, were arrested this week. They made their first appearance in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the allegations they face.
Police were called to Glascock and Burton’s home on Preston Drive last week after the boy and Glascock reportedly got into a fight, according to court documents.
Burton had taken the boy to sell some video,games at a store in Greenfield, and she was upset about the amount of money they’d been given, court documents state.
Glascock and Burton began shouting at each other, and the boy stepped in, he told police. Then Glascock got physical with him, he said, according to court documents.
At one point, Glascock pushed the boy to the ground, the boy told police. He punched her in the mouth in an attempt to get away from her, according to reports.
Police interviewed relatives of Burton’s, Glascock’s and the boy’s as part of their investigation, records show.
The boy’s grandfather told police he believes his grandson has been mistreated by Burton and Glascock, according to court documents.
The boy slept in the dining room of the couple’s home whenever he stayed with them because he doesn’t have his own bedroom, the grandfather told police. Glascock often hits the boy, and both women give the boy drugs, the grandfather said, according to court documents.
The boy also told police Burton and Glascock give him drugs and have taught him how to roll marijuana into cigarettes, court documents state.
He said Burton “would ground him from marijuana” if he did something bad, and Burton and Glascock would reward him with marijuana if he “did something good,” police said.
In interviews with investigators, both women admitted to giving the boy marijuana, court documents state.
Glascock now faces one Level 6 felony count of neglect of a dependent and one Class A misdemeanor of domestic battery. Burton faces a single Level 6 felony count of neglect of a dependent.
Both cases are filed in Hancock County Superior Court 2.
The Level 6 felony counts each defendant faces carries a penalty range of six months to 2½ years. The Class A misdemeanor Glascock faces carries a penalty of up to one year in jail.