5-year-old girl safe after trip to drug house

Star-Telegram Dallas Bureau ^ | Nov. 29, 2003 | Mary Mckee

[Dubya]

DALLAS - A 5-year-old girl was reunited with her family Friday morning after disappearing Wednesday with a baby sitter who later took the girl to a drug house and used crack cocaine, police said.

The baby sitter, Ruth Salazar, 35, was taken into custody after returning the child about 6 a.m. She faces charges of endangering a child and possibly theft and unlawful restraint, Sgt. David Pughes said.

The child, Braseida Zavala, was in good spirits and did not appear to be harmed, although she will be interviewed by child-abuse specialists next week as a precaution.

"We got her some McDonald's and she was just as happy as she can be," said Pughes, a supervisor in the youth and family support division.

Braseida had been reported missing Wednesday night by her mother, Erika Vegadezavala. The mother told police that she had asked Salazar to care for her daughter and had lent the woman her car, but Salazar never returned with the child, Pughes said.

Salazar told police that she was going to the store Thursday with Braseida but decided to buy crack cocaine at an apartment. She used the drug and remained at the apartment until seeing media reports about the missing child Friday morning, police said.

Salazar then returned to her home and notified the police and the girl's mother, Pughes said.

"It was a situation where she's got a drug problem and the drugs became the most important thing," Pughes said. "That's all she was concerned about."

The girl's mother told police that Salazar had cared for her daughter before and seemed trustworthy.

"She's real happy and relieved, but at the same time she's still in a state of shock that this happened and that a person would subject her child to that," Pughes said.

Mary McKee, (972) 263-4448 mmckee@star-telegram.com

[hellinahandcart]

I am allowing for the possibility that a stay of 24+ hours in a crack house with a five-year-old girl who wasn't hers, may not have been motivated by crack. She could have bought the crack and returned to her own home, after all.

So there may have been another reason to spend so much time in that house. Other than the reason she gave to the police, I mean. I thought I was being all broad-minded, and here you are getting bent out of shape about it...

[eastforker]

Like someone else said,either make it legal and do away with the black market or shoot every last one of them that deals drugs.That is the only solution to win the WOD.The only reason drugs are not made legal is they would have to do away with half of the LE's as there would be no justification for their means.People that do drugs are gonna do them no matter the law.People that sell drugs are gonna sell no matter the law unless there was no profit in it.The WOD is like fighting Jihadist,you gotta kill em all if you want to win cuz you will never change their mind.

[hellinahandcart]

You asked "Do you think crack users go to crack houses for the ambience?"

Crack users GO to crack houses for the crack.

They STAY for at crack houses for days at a time for any number of reasons, one of which could be that they find the ambience very much to their liking.

The other possible reasons are much less positive.

[hellinahandcart]

Unless "ambience" can mean ANYTHING,

Well, it can. What establishes a mood, atmosphere, or environment? Anything you can imagine, that's what.

[Skooz]

"Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim" "Provide evidence for your claim"

[robertpaulsen]

Excellent post.

[Old Professer]

They probably don't know, too stoned to remember.

[Old Professer]

What's next, grief counseling?

[walford]

nice try...

[sweetliberty]

Cute. Sometimes they're fun to play with though. That's why I love the ZOT threads. Of course, there are many threads where they are not welcome, such as Terri's party threads. Thanks for the link.