Minnesota boy, fed up with parents' pot, helps spur bust

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Duluth Daily Tribune

HASTINGS, Minn. — An 11-year-old boy who said he was fed up with marijuana smoke in his house took pictures of the drug which led to a raid by authorities and sent his mother and stepfather to jail in Dakota County.

Drug agents served a search warrant on the house in Ravenna Township near Hastings last month and arrested Heidi Siebenaler, a Dakota County probation supervisor, and her husband, Mark Siebenaler. Both face charges in the case.

A criminal complaint says the boy told investigators he had complained numerous times to his mother about the smell of the marijuana. He finally took the matter to his biological father, who told his son to take pictures of the marijuana. The father then forwarded the photos to authorities.

Heidi Siebenaler told KMSP-TV that her husband smokes marijuana for medicinal purposes

Read more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/214830/

[Enrique]

1. "father uses son to narc on ex-wife" n/t

[joeglow3]

14. What should his father's advice have been? nt

[WillParkinson]

2. Good for him...

The parents need to remember it's his house, too. My parents used to smoke (cigarettes) when I was a kid. I complained about it many times but to no avail. I can understand his plight.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Do you believe your parents should have been arrested? n/t

[SheilaT]

5. Cigarettes are legal. Marijuana is not.

While I strongly believe no one should smoke, and I think smokers with children ought to at least smoke outside, they are not breaking any laws when they smoke in their own homes.

Adults who smoke marijuana need to be very aware of the laws and exercise a little discretion.

[WillParkinson]

6. I said I could understand his plight...

I did not say I believed the outcome was right. He apparently complained to his mother. She's the adult. She should have understood and dealt with the situation. If he could not get her to listen he was right to speak with his father. Do I believe his parents should have been arrested? No. Do I believe someone should have come and dealt with the situation with the parents? Yes.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I agree with your point of view. n/t

[MADem]

9. I think he parroted what his father told him to say.

I'm betting this is more about child support than anything else.

I might be wrong, but I have a feeling...

[Uncle Joe]

10. I believe that's a strong possibility. n/t

[MineralMan]

12. It could also be that the kid wanted to live with his father.

Stepdads aren't always kind to the sons of another man. If that's the case, looks like he got his wish.

Frankly, we don't know all that much about this whole situation, so there's a lot of guesswork going on in this thread.

[MADem]

16. Entirely possible. I admit I'm just guessing. I like to speculate on occasion! nt

[MedicalAdmin]

41. I like to speculate on everything. n/t

[MedicalAdmin]

40. I smell a DARE program in here somewhere. n/t

[closeupready]

4. I agree.

nt

[MADem]

7. Am I the only one who detects the presence of an agenda, here,

on the part of the EX-HUSBAND/biological father?

Ahhh, it's all clear to me now!

A criminal complaint says the boy told investigators he had complained numerous times to his mother about the smell of the marijuana. He finally took the matter to his biological father, who told his son to take pictures of the marijuana. The father then forwarded the photos to authorities.

Heidi Siebenaler told KMSP-TV that her husband smokes marijuana for medicinal purposes...

My guess? The father is pissed about paying the child support to the mother. He's mad at her and hates the new husband. He goads the kid to take the pics, and the poor kid, wanting dad's approval, does what he's asked.

Why do I have a feeling that the kid isn't going to like Life With Father, 24/7?

And why do I have a feeling that dad is going to quickly understand why it's worth paying that child support every month? Kids DO have to eat, they need clothes, toys, money for field trips at school.... and they'll need sitters when Dad goes out on dates.

My crystal ball says "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone!"

[joeglow3]

15. Maybe dad is caring father who felt his son's wishes should be respected

Not all divorced dads are pieces of shit. In fact, many divorced mothers are pieces of shit.

[MADem]

17. Could be, but my antennae went up when I read that the father instructed the

child to take pictures of the offending weed.

It's like he's preparing the exhibits for a trial ahead of the fact.

If he just wanted the kid to live in a smoke-free environment, he could have spoken to his ex-wife and told her to make sure the new husband took that shit elsewhere. Problem solved, everyone happy.

Instead, he told the kid to go take pictures and then he sent them to the authorities.

That's what makes me think his target is his ex. This is less about the kid and more about him and his irritation (or more) at his ex-wife and her new(er) husband. Now, the child could very possibly be deprived of his mother for a long, long time as a consequence of the law getting involved in their lives.

I think the ex-husband used a sledgehammer when a ball peen hammer would have done.

I'm just guessing, though. I freely admit that. It could be something else entirely!

[Jenoch]

20. So you apparently

think it is ok for this kid's stepfather to be selling dope? He had 8 POUNDS of pot. That's going to be a distribution charge. Whether you like it or not, the stepfather is not a good parent to that kid and the kid's biological father did exactly the right thing except that maybe he should have just called the cops instead of having the kid take the photos.

[MADem]

22. Where are you getting these new details? Not from the OP.

The OP doesn't say anything about eight pounds of pot. So how could I "apparently think it is ok" when the OP doesn't say squat about that? If there was that much, then it's likely the kid is going to be living with Pops from now on and his mother and stepfather could well be off to the pokey.

I don't think pot is a horrible drug, though. I think it should be legalized and taxed with a fair degree of enthusiasm. I also think parents shouldn't smoke anything around kids to protect their developing lungs.

I'm also not convinced that the father didn't do everything he could to ensure the child had access to BOTH parents before taking this step. Did he even talk to the mother or stepfather?

It's likely that the mother won't be permitted to see her son for some time, until this situation has been adjudicated, at a minimum. She might end up in jail herself, for a weed that grows wild in many parts of this planet, and is an ornamental plant in many parts of the Middle East.

I think kids need both their parents, silly me. I also think a sledgehammer approach to this situation is not warranted.

[trotsky]

32. Here's the info about 8 pounds of pot.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57326838-504083/11-year-old-boy-helps-bust-parents-for-marijuana-possession/

Not hard to use the Google.

[MADem]

36. Well, that came out after the initial report, and it also came out in the AM news.

Do you routinely google every story you comment on? I don't, I think many here don't, either.

I'll be sure to ask you for the full run down before I offer any input in future, if that's the case.

[trotsky]

37. You asked, I told you.

And yeah, before I got off half-cocked making up a scenario to blame one of the parents I'm going to try and find out more information.

[MADem]

38. My point was that the additional information was not contemporaneous with the time this thread

started.

The additional info came out a day later.

[trotsky]

19. I am a father.

And if my son did not live with me, I would not want anyone smoking anything - REGARDLESS of the legality of said substance - in his home.

Maybe he actually cares about his son's health and well-being and isn't a mean bitter man looking to get revenge on his ex-wife?

[MADem]

23. I don't disagree with you. Smoke is bad for kids.

But answer me this--if you went to the child's mother, and said "Hey, stop smoking that stuff around the kid" don't you think she'd develop a quick appreciation for your concerns?

I have to wonder if the father ever approached his ex-wife about this, or just let the kid be the "narc" as they say.

[trotsky]

26. I guess I just wonder why you are automatically assuming one of those.

The one that just happens to make the father look like the bad person, when the mother (and her new husband) are using illegal drugs around a child.

[MADem]

27. Well, the article skipped a lot of stuff. I wondered why the father didn't

FIRST, speak with the mother of his child. Why didn't the father try to resolve this situation in a manner to serve the best interests of the child, instead of instructing him to "get the evidence" to nail the mother and her new husband?

Isn't that what a person without acrimony would do? Why is his first step to go to the law?

Now, the kid will likely be deprived of his mother at an age where having a mother's influence is terribly important. The mother's life is ruined, she's out of a job, she just might lose her home and be jailed.

No one "wins" here.

[trotsky]

29. So again, you seem to be assuming a lot of things...

simply because details are missing from the article. And every assumption you've made coincidentally puts the father in a worse and worse light. I just find that a little disturbing.

[MADem]

30. What I find disturbing is your excoriation of me, using terms like "disturbing"

when you don't know everything about this case either--unless you happen to be one of the players. So, it's "OK" for you to "assume," but no one else can?

For all you know, Daddy Dearest could have an unsavory history of his own, and his "details" are missing from the article.

I think adults who are unable to behave like adults when it comes to the best interests of children are suspect--and I don't give a damn about the gender of the person, either.

Kids deserve two parents. If you can make that happen, you should. Unless someone is being being beaten or is in imminent danger, going to the police as a FIRST step smacks of retribution.

YMMV, and I'm sure it does.

:eyes:

[trotsky]

31. The difference between us is that I have assumed nothing.

You have made many assumptions, and continue to do so. Your defensiveness tells me that you realize what you're doing and are now lashing out at me for pointing it out.

[MADem]

33. Sure you have--you've made all sorts of assumptions about me.

I have prefaced my remarks with a caveat that they are speculation, so get over yourself. If anyone's defensive, I think it is you.

If you don't want to discuss topics on a discussion board, don't. But don't turn into a net nanny when others do, or accuse people of "lashing out" for pointing out your inconsistent conduct.

[trotsky]

34. LOL

You take care now.

[MADem]

35. LOL

You too.

[kickysnana]

21. MJ is illegal. Mom is an officer. Pot should not be left where 11 year olds can photograph it.

Mom and stepfather are using very poor judgement. You cannot expect an 11 year old not to tell his Dad what he sees at home. You cannot expect his Dad to think that growing and distributing MJ is OK around his kid.

It costs a lot more to raise a kid than you ever get in child support so if Mom is out of the picture and Dad did this so he wouldn't have to pay so much he is SOL.

Do I think MJ should be legal, yes. Would I narc on adults with no kids around, never but I might threaten to if there are kids to get it out of the area of the kids. Do I think you should have it around kids when it is illegal, never.

[MADem]

24. I agree with much of what you are saying.

Mom and stepfather were stupid. They shouldn't have smoked around the child or left their pot in plain sight.

There's nothing about growing/distributing in the original OP, but I understand now that this is part of the story.

My only question is this: Did the father bother to speak with his former wife and her husband about his concerns? I can't help but think if he did, and said "You need to stop smoking pot around the kid" that they'd comply with his request or be concerned about the consequences that might accrue.

Making the kid be the 'narc' is just far too traumatic for the child. "Look Paw--I put Maw in JAIL!!!" The father should have been the one to speak to the mother and stepfather, and attempt a resolution that way.

I think kids need both of their parents, even if they live apart, as is so common these days.

[kickysnana]

28. I do agree that putting the kid in the middle is also stressful.

I hope that the PTB will try to have some compassion here.

[Jenoch]

39. You keep focusing on the

fact that the mom and step-father should not be smoking dope in the same home as the child. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be a dope dealer? I woild think you would also have a problem with that aspect of this situation.

[MineralMan]

11. "a Dakota County probation supervisor" eh?

Not any more. She's now going to be in the ranks of the unemployed. I wonder how many in her caseload were drug offenders?

Of course, the kid's father probably had some sort of revenge motive for turning his ex-wife in. A strange story all around.

[MADem]

25. She'll be lucky if she ends up on probation, herself.

At least she'll know how the system works from the other end--maybe she can give her former co-workers a few tips.

It is a strange story.

[MedicalAdmin]

42. Where do you think they found a supplier?

If you want illegal goods, find someone who deals in illegal good. And where better to find that than an ex con who did time for narcotics. They may not deal but it's an even bet that they know who does....

[KamaAina]

13. How very Republican of him.

Now he can form a chapter of the Junior Anti-Drug League. :eyes:

[tonekat]

18. That kid is now out of the will! N/T