CENTRALIA, Wash. -- As she sat on her stoop, a mother, who does not want to be identified, shared the difficult details of how her 13-year-old son ended up with a dragon tattoo.
"I didn't want him to do that," she sobbed. "I wasn't proud at all. It's an embarrassing thing, and it is a personal thing."
The 'personal thing' became public after Centralia Police found out about the tattoo and launched an investigation.
"From the picture that I saw, the dragon tattoo is roughly six inches tall," said Sgt. Stacy Denham who added that the law is very clear. "No minors under the age of 18 can receive a tattoo in Washington State."
A parent of one of the boy's friends spotted the tattoo and reported it, leading to a police investigation and a mother's explanation.
"He actually thought I was going to be proud of him," said his mom.
She said, while her son was on a trip with a family friend, he decided to pay tribute to how he overcame a difficult time in his life and get the permanent ink without his parent's permission.
"He wasn't even 2-years-old when he was diagnosed," said the mother.
She said her son was diagnosed with leukemia, but he beat the cancer.
"He considered [the tattoo] his badge of honor, saying that he is a cancer survivor," she said.
She said that her son has explained why he did it, but has been tight lipped about where he got the artwork done. Now his mom is not the only one going after details about the dragon tattoo -- police are too.
"What he thought was a good thing, is now turning into a really bad thing, and it is not at all how he wanted it to be," said the mom. "It's done. I can't do anything about it."
Police have photos of the tattoo that are locked up as evidence. A detective plans to look into the circumstances of the case next week.
It is a misdemeanor crime to give a minor a tattoo in Washington State.
