From Chief P.K. Johnson
Millbrook Police Department
On July 26, 2024, Millbrook detectives were contacted by the Elmore County Department of Human Resources with regard to a child endangerment case. Detectives were advised that a Millbrook couple, later identified as Hollie Moen, a 29-year-old Millbrook resident and Mitchell L. Harrison, a 31-year-old Millbrook resident, both having been tested positive for Methamphetamine and Marijuana during a DHR investigation. Their juvenile daughter, who is 3 years of age, tested positive for Methamphetamine, Marijuana and Amphetamine.
Having received this information, Millbrook detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit initiated an investigation. Pursuant to that investigation, on August 1, 2024, both Moen and Harrison were placed under arrest, each being charged with Chemical Endangerment of a Child. Both individuals were transported to the Elmore County Jail, where they were placed into custody under a $15,000 bond.
As a parent of two adults and a grandparent of three, this both infuriates me and breaks my heart at the same time, as I’m sure it does our police officers and detectives that work these types of cases every day. Unfortunately, law enforcement officers are exposed to things in the course of their duties during their careers that you can’t erase from your mind. After a period of time, as a defense mechanism, we become jaded to the point that things that would bother a normal person don’t impact us as much. That said, that’s not as true when the victims are children or the elderly.
Most people who get into law enforcement, emergency response or the medical professions, do so to help people, particularly those who cannot help themselves. These cases tend to touch us a little bit more when they involve children, especially those of us who have children and grandchildren of our own. There is not a world that we live in where a three-year-old child should be exposed to or test positive for these or any other illegal or legal narcotics. Children are to be both cherished and protected.
Because this case involves a minor child, I am limited in what I can comment on, but I will say that the child in this case has been removed from the custody of the parents by DHR officials and placed in the temporary care and custody of a responsible family member until other arrangements can be made. We encourage anyone that is aware of any similar situations involving a child at risk, to report it to the proper authorities, be it law enforcement or the Department of Human Resources. Things like this must be addressed for the safety and welfare of those who cannot defend themselves.
