Roubena Hartounian, a day care director in California, was arrested on Wednesday after a two-year-old child under her watch was found high on marijuana according to CBS Los Angeles.
Hartounian, 50, ran a day care service called Bena's Family Child Care out of her home in La Crescenta. When the parents of the two-year-old picked her up from Hartounian's house, they said their daughter seemed lethargic and eventually took her to the hospital, where tests confirmed she had marijuana in her system.
After authorities investigated the day care center, they found it had no power, nonfunctional toilets, and a kitchen with a sink piled high with dirty dishes and knives easily accesible to children. They also discovered rat droppings and decided to shut the center down.
"The conditions of the home warranted a criminal investigation," Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
Officials said Hartounian's day care provided services to low-income families and was close to an elementary school. Lorenz said they had to send eight families back home that arrived at the day care to drop their children off.
On the Need Child Care website, Harounian advertises that her center as a place where children will be provided with "the highest level of nurture, education, and care" in a "loving and secure environment."
Lorenz reportedly told La Cañada Newspaper that because Hartounian accepted referrals from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, her day care center will also be investigated by Social Services.
The day care director was taken into custody for child neglect and endangerment. She posted a $100,000 bond on Wednesday and is scheduled for arraignment on Friday. The two-year-old is currently being monitored at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
