An Alabama couple was arrested after they allegedly took their 7-month-old daughter to an Indiana bar where the mother breastfed her baby while drinking and smoking, witnesses say.
Officers took Michael Trosclair, 45, and Shari Tremba, 42, into custody at about at 12:45 a.m on June 16 in Indianapolis after responding to a call at the Wild Beaver Saloon, the Daily Mail reported.
Trosclair, a former pastor, and Tremba, a life coach, each face a felony charge of neglect of a dependent and a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.
An arrest affidavit obtained by AL.com states that the mother was asking bar patrons for beer and breastfeeding her daughter while consuming alcohol.
An officer dispatched to the scene said he found Tremba outside the bar standing by a stroller in a cordoned-off area holding a cup.
When the officer asked whose baby it was, Tremba responded that it was hers before taking a swig of beer from the cup, according to the affidavit. Tremba allegedly told the officer that she was with her husband and his work friends.
A witness told police that Tremba was standing outside the bar for more than two hours trying to get people to buy her more beer in exchange for soliciting sex. Another witness told police that Tremba was breastfeeding her baby while drinking and smoking.
The officer was speaking to Tremba when Trosclair approached the two and allegedly became “belligerent” with the officer after the officer told his wife he was going to have the baby examined by a medic.
“Trosclair became belligerent and started demanding to talk to a lawyer and telling us we weren’t going to do anything,” the detective wrote.
The officer then cuffed Trosclair to ensure he would not start a fight with police while the baby was present.
Police also dispatched Child Protective Services and a detective who investigates child abuse to the scene while they arrested Trosclair and Tremba.
The infant was checked out at a local hospital, where doctors found that she did not exhibit signs of intoxication, and was then released to the custody of Child Protective Services.
Fox News reports that the Mobile, Alabama, couple were released from Marion County Jail in Indianapolis and appeared in court Tuesday.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.