Police: Woman Leaves Young Child Behind to Use Drugs in Car

A Bolingbrook woman is in jail today after police say she endangered the life of her child and was caught using drugs in a car.

Police say Valerie Stewart, 27, of the 300 block of Delaware, left her 6-year-old daughter at the Ramada Inn in Bolingbrook while smoking marijuana in her car near her home.

Officers said they responded to a call on the 300 block of Delaware for a report of an ex-roommate damaging a car. When police found the alleged offender—Stewart—they said they noticed a strong smell of burnt marijuana coming from the car. Police said they found the marijuana and took Stewart into custody.

Officers also had contact with Stewart on March 3, when police said she was arrested in connection with resisting a peace officer and speeding, among other incidents.

After questioning Stewart on the well-being of her daughter, police said they discovered the girl had been left alone in the Ramada Inn, where police found an eighth of a pound of weed in the room.

Stewart is being charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and endangering the health or life of a child. She was transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility.

The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services took the child into protective custody.