MERITT ISLAND, FLORIDA: A Florida woman allegedly forced her two-year-old son to smoke marijuana from a vape pen to help him sleep better and improve his appetite. The mother, 22-year-old Kiarra Clarisse residing in Merrit Island, was arrested earlier this week and charged with child neglect.

The action was taken after the child's father contacted child welfare officials after receiving an alert from Clarisse's ex-girlfriend, Katelyn Masker. She told him that Clarisse forcefully gave the boy weed in order to "get him to sleep and eat better". She also added that she was witness to Clarisse doing this on multiple occasions, an arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun stated.

Masker told the child's father that she had noticed his son acting differently and appeared to be “slow". She also stated that Clarisse canceled the child's medical appointments out of fear that the drugs would be detected in his system if examined. The child's father contacted child welfare and relayed the information from Masker and told them that his son acted differently when he visited him earlier this month.

The officials then brought the boy to a hospital where he reportedly tested positive for THC, the psychoactive ingredient present in marijuana. As detailed in the affidavit, Masker told police that she observed Clarisse put a vape pen in the child’s mouth and “allow him to smoke it, in order to get him to eat more and sleep.”

The 27-year-old Masker added that Clarisse would send her photos of the child after he used a “wax pen”. Masker said that Clarisse had gone off her rocker in the past couple of days and all she was interested in “party, drink and work in the club”. Court records list Clarisse’s employer as Cheaters, a Cocoa Beach strip club.

Masker, who said she lived with Clarisse for seven months, added that Clarisse left her child “in the care of other people in her household who are known to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.” After the arrest, Clarisse declined to answer any questions during her interrogation by the police, but reportedly made a “spontaneous utterance stating she smokes ‘pot’ at her residence, but did not smoke it in front of” her son, who turned two last month.

Police also confirmed Masker's claims of the boy having missed two check-up appointments with his pediatrician after looking at his medical records. Clarisse was released from custody on Thanksgiving morning after posting a $3,000 bail. She is scheduled for arraignment on December 15. 

According to court records, Clarisse was convicted last year of drunk driving and placed on probation (the terms of which she twice violated). She is also facing trial on a felony narcotics charge stemming from a June 2017 arrest. Clarisse and the father of her son were busted after cops found two pounds of marijuana in their vehicle. Charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or distribute, Clarisse has been free on a $2000 bond, according to the outlet.