13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Couple arrested for smoking pot with baby in car

Couple arrested for smoking pot with baby in car

Indianapolis - Some fast food drive-through workers called police on a father and mother. They say they feared for the couple's one-year-old because of what they smelled coming from the car.

Marshall Chatman and Constance Payne ended up behind bars after a trip to a fast food restaurant. They placed an order from the drive-through at the North Keystone Avenue Arby's around midnight Friday.

The drive-through worker noticed their one-year-old in the car and called 911 about a strong drug odor.

"There is a car in my drive-through. There are two adults smoking pot with a child in the vehicle," the caller told the dispatch operator.

"He noticed a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and noticed a one-year-old in the back seat," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, IMPD.

The fast food workers didn't want the parents to leave before police arrived, so they devised a plan to keep them in the parking lot.

"I am having them wait on chicken right now so if you can get here in three minutes," the employee told police.

Officers say they not only found marijuana but also a loaded Glock .357 in the car.

Officers say the child's mother told them they were smoking cigars but their training told them something different.

"The odor from marijuana is distinct and they are trained on what it smells like," said Lt. Duhamell.

Officers arrested Chatman, 27, for neglect of a dependent and possession of marijuana. They also arrested the one-year-old's mother, Constance Payne, for neglect.

"Good work by the Arby's employees and feeling concerned about the kid," said Lt. Duhamell.

The restaurant franchise declined comment about the arrests, but making sure all of their customers are safe inside and out is part of their training.