Authorities in Arizona say a man and woman were arrested on suspicion of exposing a young child to the potentially harmful fumes created by their illicit drug use.

According to KNXV, the principal of an elementary school in Buckeye contacted authorities on Thursday to report a 10-year-old student complaining of shortness of breath and pain in her chest.

Emergency personnel responded to Sundance Elementary School and carried the child to an area hospital. In an interview with police, the student reportedly told officers that her father and his girlfriend were using drugs in the car as they carried her to school.

The alleged victim said such behavior “happened all the time,” indicating that the family lived in the car because they didn’t have a home.

Officials say the child has since been released from the hospital. The child was reportedly placed in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

Investigators located 49-year-old Michael R. Nash and 34-year-old Ashley M. Mahaney in a vehicle that matched the child’s description, as reported by KSAZ. At that time, the student’s father acknowledged that that he had used drugs inside the car before traveling to the school that day.

In addition to locating suspected drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, police allegedly found a bag of white crystals determined to contain methamphetamine.

Officers arrested Nash and Mahaney, the latter of whom also had a felony warrant for a previous charge of child abuse.

Both suspects are expected to face criminal charges related to child abuse and drug possession.

[Featured image: Michael Nash and Ashley Mahaney, Buckeye Police]