Police: Woman kept children around drugs, broken glass

CEDAR RAPIDS - Police searched a Cedar Rapids apartment for drugs Friday morning and found a lot more than they expected.

Issyla L. Gardner, 23, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after the search of her apartment, 640 16th Ave. SW, No. 5. Officers in SWAT gear arrived around 6:25 a.m. to execute a search warrant and found her young boys, ages 3 and 4, in unsafe conditions, police said.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said the officers discovered broken windows, with shards of glass in the window frame and on a bookshelf in the living room. The apartment had no power, but someone cut a hole in the wall and was running an extension cord to a neighboring unit, she said.

Officers also found a small amount of marijuana, drug pipes and a broken bong inside the apartment.

Police said the boys were placed in the custody of their grandmother, police said.

Gardner was taken to the Linn County Jail, where she remained Friday afternoon in lieu of $3,300 bond.