Georgia judge claims she’s unsure why tattooing a toddler was made illegal

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If tattooing a toddler is illegal, why is it okay to pierce a little girl’s ears?

That was the reasoning behind a rather startling quote reprinted by Georgia’s Rome News-Tribune, allegedly uttered by a judge who decided to go easy on a 26-year-old man that pleaded guilty on Monday to tattooing a 3-year-old boy.

Eugene “Stonner” Ashley claimed he was drunk at the time, and did not remember embedding the letters “DB” (“daddy’s boy”) into his son’s right shoulder.

But instead of fire and brimstone from a conservative judge concerned with protecting children, Judge Tami Colston reportedly said “I am trying to figure out why this is illegal. Is it illegal to pierce your little girl’s ears?”

The man was sentenced to a year probation and a $300 fine. He’s also been prohibited from further contact with his son.

The prosecutor called the case “egregious,” but said they likely could not take it to jury trial due to the child’s age.