Washington Woman Forces 10-Year-Old Son to Burglarize Home for Drug Money - East Idaho News
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Washington Woman Forces 10-Year-Old Son to Burglarize Home for Drug Money

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147677836?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1346460668437iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LYNNWOOD, Wash.) — They are a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, only with a twist.

A Lynnwood, Wash., woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly coercing her 10-year-old son to burglarize homes so that she could buy drugs with the money.

Lynnwood Police told ABC affiliate KOMO that 33-year-old Marie Shafique forced her son to slither through an open window to try and rob a home. However, she didn’t know she was being watched by neighbors across the street and by a security camera that caught the whole incident on tape.

The homeowner, Michelle Geronimo, was inside her house when the boy allegedly tried to break in and told KOMO the boy was “peering inside” her window, which was “wide open.”

“I was just shocked that it was a little boy, and when you figure out what’s going on, it’s sad,” she said.

Shafique and her son tried to get away, but Lynnwood police apprehended her. When she was found, she was in possession of crack cocaine and a stolen computer.

She was arrested and bail was set for $25,000. Shafique is currently facing burglary and identity theft charges.

Rodeo Inn-Lynnwood manager Steve, who did not want to disclose his last name, confirmed to ABC News that Shafique had been living in a filthy motel room with her four young children and four dogs.

“It was pretty trashed. There was garbage everywhere and it was nasty,” he said.

Another hotel manager for the Rodeo Inn-Lynnwood Maria Santana told KOMO Shafique was staying at the hotel to get away from a bad relationship.

“She said, ‘I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m working for my kids,’” Santana said.

Santana said a nearby woman’s shelter paid some of the hotel costs. Steve, the hotel manager, said her boyfriend called to say he would come by sometime Friday to pay the remaining balance.

Shafique’s four children are currently in the care of their father.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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