Couple arrested after kid with gun sparks fight

SPLENDORA, TX

Montgomery County investigators responded to a disturbance at the residence, and say it could have been much worse.

It was in a house on Midline Road near Splendora where deputies say a little girl was caught playing with a 9MM handgun.

Investigators say the child's grandmother, Carolyn Garrison, and her common-law husband, Dennis Hollifield, were supposed to be babysitting when the girl picked up the loaded gun from a dresser Sunday night.

"No, it does not surprise me," said Hollifield's mother.

She didn't want to show her face on camera, but she told us she's not surprised her son and Garrison are in jail because she says they've been there before.

"I think people that live that kind of life should not have little children around them at all," Hollifield's mother said.

Investigators say the common-law couple got into a big fight after Garrison found the three-year-old with Hollifield's handgun. They discovered the child had access to a lot more once deputy constables showed up to the house.

"There was some illegal narcotics around there, some methamphetamines and some marijuana," said Chief Deputy Barry Welch of the Montgomery Co. Precinct 4 Constable's Office.

Investigators say they also found syringes and a loaded shotgun leaning against a living room wall.

"I'm thrilled that no child got hurt, but they can get hurt in other ways, and not a gun. What if they got hold of the drugs or needles and stuff?" Hollifield's mother told us.

The child is now with her mother. Garrison, 44, and Hollifield, 47, are now facing drug and assault charges. Hollifield has also been issued a citation for allowing a minor to have access to a gun.

Garrison and Hollifield remain in Montgomery County Jail. Investigators told us that Child Protective Services is also investigating this case.