Richmond woman arrested for wanton endangerment after allegedly driving impaired with children in car

Blake Vickers, Richmond Register, Ky.
·2 min read

Mar. 29—Richmond woman was arrested last Friday on charges of wanton endangerment.

Latasha Townsend was arrested on March 25 and charged with possession of marijuana, second-degree wanton endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor, and tampering with physical evidence.

Last Friday, an officer with the Richmond Police Department (RPD) received a call from a teacher at Waco Elementary that Townsend had just dropped off two children in the car-rider line. The teacher said several other teachers could smell marijuana coming from the children and Townsend appeared to be impaired as she drove. They said another child was still in the car with Townsend.

The teachers gave the officer a description of Townsend's vehicle and its license plate number. It was spotted traveling westbound on Irvine Road, where a traffic stop was conducted.

According to arrest citations, the officer could also smell marijuana coming from the vehicle even though no doors or windows were open. A juvenile was riding in the car with Townsend. When Townsend rolled the window of the vehicle down to speak with the officer, the smell allegedly became unbearable, with the scent seeming to have been of something burning and not just marijuana.

The officer asked Townsend to exit the vehicle, when she stepped out, the officer allegedly noticed a large pile of marijuana on the floorboard next to a ripped baggie. Townsend allegedly had an unsteady gait, red eyes with constricted pupils, and was verbally slurring.

Police documents noted Townsend showed signs of impairment during standard roadside tests. Marijuana was found in several locations around the car. Some of it had been stuffed into the cushion of the driver seat, where a citation states it appeared to have been placed there to hide it from the officer. A pipe was found as well.

The Register collects and publishes police reports as a public service to its readers. The reports often contain allegations against individuals and do not mean the individuals committed a crime. All people named in connection with a crime are presumed innocent until guilty in a court of law.