Two women were arrested after Cayuga County deputies said they found a 6-year-old child in a car where the driver and passenger were using drugs at a Cato gas station.
Deputies responded to a welfare-check call at the Speedway on state Route 370 at about 8:11 p.m. September 5 after a caller reported two women smoking suspected narcotics in the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators identified the driver as Nicole Erb, 41, of Brutus, and the passenger as Alexis Devaul, 25, of Warners. The sheriff's office said deputies arranged for the child to be turned over to a responsible family member.
Deputies said their investigation and video evidence showed suspected drug use in the car while the child was in the back seat. They also alleged that Erb had used drugs while driving with the child and was operating with a suspended New York license tied to multiple unanswered summonses.
Erb was charged with felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation and felony aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, as well as misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by drugs and endangering the welfare of a child.
Devaul was charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Both women were arrested at about 10 p.m., processed at the Public Safety Building and released on their own recognizance after arraignment the next morning, the sheriff's office said.
Child Protective Services was notified, and the New York State Police and county 911 center assisted the investigation.
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