Newnan mom charged after authorities said she allowed 12-year-old daughter to get tattoo

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A Newnan mother and an aspiring tattoo artist are arrested and charged after school officials spot a tattoo on a 12-year-old girl’s arm.

“The authorities at the child’s school encountered her at a dance and saw that she had what appeared to be a to be a real tattoo on her right shoulder,” said Lt. Jason Fetner with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

Lt. Fetner said 27-year-old Brenda Gaddy, an aspiring tattoo artist, gave the fifth grader the tattoo of a cross with the words “Jesus Loves” written on her arm.  Investigators said the incident took place at a Super Bowl party at Gaddy’s Newnan home and said the girl’s mother, 35-year-old Emmie Nolan, was present.

“The mom was here and the mom let me do it,” said Brenda Gaddy. “They’re all bashing me like it’s all my fault and it's not all my fault.”

Gaddy said Nolan was not only present, but gave consent. Gaddy said she thought the girl was older and had she known her age, she would have never given her a tattoo.

“I didn’t know she was 12, I knew she was under the age, but I did not know she was 12,” said Gaddy.

FOX 5’s Nathalie Pozo spoke to Nolan over the phone who said she had no comment.

Georgia law prohibits the tattooing of anyone under 18 even with the consent of a parent.

Investigators said Gaddy does not have a criminal past; she turned herself in Friday and is charged with tattooing a person under the age of 18.

Nolan was arrested Thursday and is charged with being a party to the crime.

“The case is a misdemeanor and we get a lot of misdemeanors cases in Coweta County, however this one is different, I think it strikes at the core of parenting in general and it’s important to make sure that if we have parents who aren’t able to or are not willing to do what they are supposed to do that we step in and make sure that the child is safe,” said Lt. Fetner.

Fetner said the investigation took 5 months because of false information given at the beginning of the investigation that began in late March.