A mother in Highland, New York is facing serious charges for allowing her 10-year-old son to get a permanent tattoo.
According to The New York Times, 33-year-old Crystal Thomas was arrested in October after her son went to the school nurse to get Vaseline for his freshly inked tattoo. Authorities say the school nurse notified them about the issue.
According to local police, the young boy received permission from his mother to get the tattoo, which was his name in large block letters on the inside of his forearm.
Defending her innocence, Thomas said she was under the impression that her son would be getting a temporary tattoo, not a permanent one.
“No little child should get tattooed,” she told NYT of the “misunderstanding.” She has since been charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
In addition to Ms. Thomas, police also arrested the tattoo artist, 20-year-old Austin Smith. PEOPLE noted that Smith was unlicensed when he tattoed the young boy. He was charged with dealing unlawfully with a child, “a misdemeanor that can carry a prison sentence of up to one year.”
While some states have no minimum age to get a tattoo, New York law states that a person must be 18 years old to go under the needle, and that’s regardless of whether they have parental consent.
A few days after his arraignment, Austin Smith spoke with NYT telling the outlet that he was filled with regret about tattooing the 10-year-old.
“It’s the worst mistake I’ve made in my life,” he said. “At the time, I thought if you got your parents’ permission, you could get a tattoo.”
Thomas’ son said he was inspired to get the tattoo because one of his favorite teachers had a similar design in the same place, but now, he also believes Smith should have thought twice before inking him.