Woman held over online video of kids smoking pot

Riverside County files charges, citing use of a minor to sell drug and child endangerment.

A Riverside County woman was behind bars Tuesday on suspicion of using three young children to sell marijuana after a video showing kids smoking pot surfaced on social media. Elaina Kabler, 39, is charged with three felony counts of using a minor to sell marijuana and three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment. She has pleaded not guilty, according to Riverside County Superior Court records.

Kabler was arrested last week by detectives serving a search warrant on a home in the 66600 block of Third Street in Desert Hot Springs. Authorities began investigating after receiving several messages about a video circulating on social media showing two children smoking marijuana, according to Desert Hot Springs police.

Det. Chris Tooth told the Desert Sun that the video shows two children in the home smoking pot. Video obtained by KESQ in Palm Springs shows a child holding a pipe and putting a flame to it. Another child also appears to be smoking from the pipe.

“I have been through [child protective services] 14 times,” a woman can be heard saying in the background in the video.

The Desert Sun, citing court records, reported that the three children involved are a 6-year-old boy, an 11year-old girl and a 12-yearold girl. Prosecutors have filed a protective order against Kabler that seeks to keep the woman away from the children until July 2022, court records show.

She is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in lieu of $50,000 bail.