A Vermont couple was arrested last month after investigators found crack cocaine in the systems of their three children.
As reported by WCAX, a Franklin county sheriff’s deputy noticed a parked truck with its lights on at a Park and Ride in Georgia, Vermont. Inside, the officer discovered Travis Dashnow, 41, Jena Mays, 29, and their children.
The couple explained to the deputy that they were retrieving personal items from the truck, which was no longer operational after a crash. However, the officers uncovered drug paraphernalia and what appeared to be crack within the children’s reach.
Tests later confirmed the kids had crack in their systems.
Mays and Dashnow pleaded not guilty to cruelty to children and reckless endangerment and were released on condition, which weren’t revealed.
The children were released into the care of a family member.
Recently, Dashnow appeared in Washington County court, where he denied charges of obstructing justice, hindering a public officer, and gross negligent driving, as reported by the Argus Leader.
These allegations are connected to a July 18 incident in Marshfield involving Dashnow driving an SUV. A state trooper testified that a witness observed the SUV driving erratically, crossing lane lines, and almost colliding with another vehicle before crashing into a stationary granite truck, with no apparent braking effort by the driver until the last possible second.
The troopers said Dashnow’s eyes were nearly swollen shut and he answered “not yet” when she asked if he’d had any drugs or alcohol.
Dashnow underwent field sobriety tests, exhibiting difficulty maintaining balance. Although a preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.0 percent, he refused to provide a blood sample at the hospital, where he was transported due to pain from the crash, despite officers having obtained a warrant. He also declined to offer another breath test.
