Mom Arrested at Son's School Party

April 26, 2006 -- Sarina Gillis is facing child endangerment and drug possession charges. You've heard her name before because she is the mother of Erica Pratt, the youngster who was kidnapped in a case that made national headlines in 2002. Police here call this case not only bizarre, but very sad.

Philadelphia Police say the 5 year old boy walked up to a teacher and said, "Mommy's weed is in my bag." A search turned up marijuana.

Officials at Harrity Elementary called authorities. The little boy's mother, Sarina Gillis, was already in route to the school for a previously planned birthday for the boy. When she arrived with balloons and cookies, police confronted her. They say she smelled like marijuana and inside her purse they found a half smoked blunt, marijuana rolled in cigar paper.

Parents are disgusted. Shaytare Mitchell/PARENT "She should be locked up...even if she didn't know." Police say the student told investigators his mom would smoke "weed" on the porch and often leave him in the house to buy the drug. Christine Gilliard has an 11-year-old daughter who goes to the school. She says if parents use drugs, their kids think it's OK to use drugs. Christine Gilliard/PARENT "They grow up and get in the drug life. That's a bad way to go....so they won't fall under the ropes." Sarina Gillis is also the mother of Erica Pratt. She's the young girl who was kidnapped from her grandmother's house in 2002 and held for ransom in a vacant Logan home. She gained national fame after escaping her captors. Erica's grandmother has custody of her and a sibling, after what friends describe as a turbulent upbringing for Gillis. They defend Gillis, saying she's good mother to her son, and has recently gotten her life back on track. George Morris/BROTHER "She's a good mother. She's good mother. I'm going to hold it down." Her son is in custody of the Department of Human Services.

(Copyright 2006 by Action News. All Rights Reserved.)

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