Police: Woman charged after tattooing a 12-year-old

NORCROSS, Ga. — A Norcross woman is accused of tattooing a 12-year-old girl inside her home. The young girl told police she was a willing participant.

According to a police report, the girl referred to the small star on her back as her "tramp stamp."

Dayana Maldonado, 19, now faces a misdemeanor charge of tattooing a minor.

"My cousin was getting a tattoo, and she was like, 'You want one?' and I was like, 'Yeah,'" the girl told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh.

The girl's mother gave Kavanaugh permission to speak to her, but we decided not to show her face on television nor use her name.

Gwinnett County police said it doesn't matter if the girl was willing or not.

"It doesn't matter whether or not the juvenile wanted the tattoo. It's strictly by the letter of the law her age that's a factor," said Cpl. Jake Smith with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Kavanaugh went to Maldonado's home for comment. The woman at the door said she was the suspect's sister.

"She is admitting to doing it," the woman said. "But like we said we don't want anything, no comment."

"She just put her shirt down and I'm like, who gave you that?" said Anita Villalpando, the girl's mother.

"As a mother, how did you feel?" Kavanaugh asked.

"I was mad. I was serious, very, very upset," Villalpando said.

The 12-year-old told Kavanaugh she didn't think she was taking part in anything wrong and felt that she was being safe.

"She got a tattoo machine. She took out the clean needle from the package and she did it," Maldonado said.

Police said tattooing a minor is a misdemeanor charge.

WSBTV