9-year-old girl found living in shed amid guns and drugs, authorities say
A 9-year-old girl living in a shed with guns and drugs was taken into protective custody during a probation check in Lakeside on Thursday morning, sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies found the girl, her 60-year-old father and a woman living in the small, uninhabitable shed, which lacked facilities, authorities said.
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Inside the shed, near the back of a house on Lindo Lane near Lindo Park Elementary, deputies found a shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle, about eight grams of methamphetamine and indications of drug sales, sheriff’s officials said.
The girl’s uncle, who lives at the home, said Thursday evening that his brother had been staying in the shed and recently started to care for the girl.
“She was staying in the shed because my brother had to stay in the shed,” Ted Tavolazzi said. “She never saw no kind of drugs. She was well taken care of. My brother tried, and that’s all I can tell you.”
He said the girl had access to the house.
During the probation check, 13 people were detained.
Six men and two women later were arrested on charges including suspicion of felony child endangerment, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a stun gun, possession of meth for sale, sale of drugs near a school, possession of heroin, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and probation violations.
Hernandez writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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