A mother from Highland, New York has been arrested after her 1o-year-old son got a permanent ink tattoo, allegedly with her permission.
The 33-year-old mother, Crystal Thomas, was arrested in October after her son's school nurse called the police after the boy went seeking Vaseline for his tattoo, according to The New York Times.
The tattoo is reported to be large block letters of the child's name on his forearm, and local authorities are claiming that it was done with permission from his mom.
The boy's mother explained to The New York Times that the incident was a misunderstanding and that she believed he was asking to get a temporary tattoo.
"No little child should be getting tattooed," Crystal explained. She went on to say that she was in favor of age restrictions surrounding tattoos.
Per the Town of Lloyd Police, the mother was been charged with endangering the welfare of a child but has been released on an appearance ticket and ordered to return to court on October 20.
The unlicensed tattoo artist, 20-year-old Austin Smith, was also arrested and charged with dealing unlawfully with a child. This can carry a sentence of up to one year in prison.
The artist stated: "It's the worst mistake I've made in my life. At the time, I thought if you got your parents' permission, you could get a tattoo".
Some states do not have a minimum age to get a tattoo as long as the parent has given permission. But the minimum age in the state of New York is 18, even with parental consent.
The boy stated to The Times that he was inspired to get the large forearm tattoo due to his favorite teacher having the same. However, the novelty has soon worn off.
He now believes the blame lies with the tattoo artist. "He should have said no," the 10-year-old said.
It is not yet reported as to whether the boy will be seeking for a removal of the tattoo, though it may be tricky due to his age. He might yet get to keep the ink as a reminder of the ordeal.
