Check condition of a 7-year-old leads to drug arrest in hotel room

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Jones

MANCHESTER, NH – On Wednesday February 8, 2017 approximately 2 p.m. officers responded to Best Western Hotel, 13500 South Willow St., for a child left unsupervised in one of the hotel rooms. Upon arrival, they spoke with the reporting party, a hotel employee.

She advised the officers about a young child who was left in one of the hotel rooms. The employee noticed the man who rented the room and a woman who was with hin exit the hotel 10 minutes before she contacted police. She was concerned because the young child was not with them. She brought the officers to the third floor room so the officers could check condition of the child.

The officers knocked on the door and were surprised when a 7-year-old boy greeted them. He told the officers that his mother and her friend had just left the room. He appeared to be in good health, was talkative and showed no signs of distress.

Officer Adam Bergeron-Rosa walked into the master suite in an attempt to locate an adult, but none were located. Instead, he located a small amount of white powder on the night stand next to the master bed. It was arranged in small lines and had a straw next to it. He also located a small container with a larger amount of white powder inside.

The white powdery substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed over 11 grams. The young boy provided his mother’s name and cell phone number, so the two adults returned to the room after police notified them.

The man was identified as Ernest Jones, 41, of Manchester. The officers determined the cocaine belonged to him, so he was charged with possession of a controlled drug and reckless conduct for leaving the drugs in close proximity to an unsupervised 7-year-old, which placed him in danger of serious bodily injury. Jones also had an electronic bench warrant out of Concord District Court for driving after suspension.

The boy’s mother, who resides in Massachusetts, took custody of her child. The Manchester Police Juvenile Unit and Department of Child and Family Services were notified and both will be following up on the case.

Jones was released on $8,000.00 cash/surety and will appear in the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on March 17, 2017.

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!