5 Kids Reunited with Parents Two Months After Marijuana-Related Traffic Stop
The five Georgia children taken from their parents after a traffic stop in Tennessee almost two months ago have returned home.
According to the Tennesse Lookout, Biacnca Clayborne and Deonte Williams were stopped by Tennessee State Troopers for driving with a dark tint and traveling in the left lane without passing. During the traffic stop, state troopers found five grams of marijuana.
Williams was arrested, and Clayborne was given a ticket and told she could leave with her children.
However, while waiting to post bail for Williams, all five children were taken from their parents. Initially, the children–7, 5, 3, 2, and a four-month-old–were split between three foster homes. However, a friend of the family got custody of the children shortly afterward.
A Black family from Georgia was pulled over in rural Tennessee for driving with ‘dark tint and traveling in the left lane while not actively passing’
Within hours, they had lost custody of all five of their children, including a nursing babyhttps://t.co/iiiG1mI3HD via @TNLookout
— Anita Wadhwani (@anitawadhwani) March 16, 2023
Department of Children Services (DCS) received an order to remove the children from their parents’ home because the children were being neglected and there was no other option, the Tennessee Lookout reported. The DCS said the children referred to their father as the “weed man” and that they accompanied their parents on drug deals.
In trying to get back their kids, Williams and Clayborne had to take drug tests. Williams tested positive for THC, while Clayborne tested negative, The Tennessee Lookout reported.
The case got the attention of several organizations and politicians. The Tennessee NAACP and Democratic lawmakers spoke out on the family’s behalf. As a result, the children were finally returned to their parents’ home in Georgia last week.
“The family is planning a celebration in their hometown,” Courtney Teasley, the family’s attorney said. “We will follow up with a press conference and celebration in Nashville in about a week or so after the family has gotten to enjoy time together and reclaim so much unnecessary lost time.”