Casper Woman Arrested for Child Abuse, Endangerment With Meth
Casper police officers arrested a woman Thursday afternoon after she allegedly got into a physical fight with a 17-year-old girl, leading police to find methamphetamine and marijuana inside an apartment.
Latisha Leigh Sholes was booked into jail on recommended charges of child abuse, child endangerment with methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana. She will likely make her initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court at 2 p.m. Friday.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, a police officer responded to an apartment in the 400 Block of S. Jefferson shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday for a report of a family fight.
The alleged victim, a 17-year-old girl, told police that she had gotten off of work, but Sholes had not picked her up as scheduled. After taking a taxi home, the girl went to enter the apartment only to find Sholes trying to hold the door closed.
The girl kicked the door open and found Sholes, who was reportedly drunk. The two began to argue and the girl threw Sholes's methamphetamine pipe against a wall, breaking it. The girl then grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured it onto Sholes.
The two began to physically push each other. As she was being pushed, the alleged victim hit her head against a wall.
At some point during the fight, the victim said, Sholes stripped off her clothing and continued the fight while naked. The girl told police that physical altercations between herself and Sholes occurred often.
An officer saw that the victim had a small cut on her left hand, near her knuckles.
When police attempted to contact Sholes, she initially refused to let officers into the apartment. She refused to come outside without seeing a warrant, so one officer left to apply for a search warrant.
"I don't want you to come in because I have a whole plate of drugs in here," Sholes allegedly told another officer. She claimed to have had an ounce of marijuana inside the apartment and told police that the alleged victim had brought the marijuana into the apartment.
After a search warrant was granted, police entered the apartment. Sholes allegedly told an officer, "If I had meth in here I would be smoking it." She also claimed that she had not consumed alcohol.
Sholes allegedly smelled like alcohol and was screaming at the officers. Police found the pieces of a broken meth pipe and arrested Sholes.
Police say numerous empty bags and other containers of marijuana items were located in both bedrooms. A pill bottle which allegedly contained methamphetamine was found in one bedroom.
A bag of marijuana was found beneath a sink in the bathroom.
One officer saw that Sholes was on probation for domestic battery.