Girl, 10, charged with evidence tampering

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- A 10-year-old girl has been charged with evidence tampering after authorities alleged that she tossed small bags of crack cocaine out of a window during a drug raid.
As detectives were serving search and arrest warrants at a Scranton apartment during the raid Friday, police said they saw the girl's arm extend from a second-floor window and drop several bags of crack.
The girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, is in the custody of Lackawanna County Children and Youth Services.
Lashawna Bennett, 30, was charged with drug possession, corruption of a minor, child endangerment and related counts. Police said they confiscated more than $7,000 in crack cocaine during the raid.
The girl is the youngest person county authorities have ever charged in a drug arrest, Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said. Ten is the minimum age at which a prosecutor can file a juvenile petition in Pennsylvania.
Jarbola said the girl had a "bad attitude" during police questioning.
"What's so amazing about this investigation is how street-smart this 10-year-old child was," he said. "She knew what she was doing."
A juvenile court judge will decide the girl's punishment.
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