Mom: 13-year-old got tattoo from unlicensed artist

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

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Linzie Hinson's tattoo is on her upper thigh.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A mother is outraged after her daughter got a tattoo without her permission.

But Mom says she's more upset with the person who tattooed her 13-year-old daughter than with her daughter. The mother, Tracy Permuy, said the tattoo was done by an adult who is not licensed to do it.

"I guess I feel violated," Permuy said. "My rights as a parent were disrespected by somebody. I feel disrespected by (my daughter) as well, but I think the person who did it is an adult and had a little more of an obligation to let me know about it."

Permuy's daughter, Linzie Hinson, got the tattoo at a friend's house in south Tampa. She was there to jump on a trampoline, but three girls decided to get a star tattoo with each of their first initials in it.

The tattoo is on Hinson's upper thigh, and she says it was the boyfriend of her friend's mother who tattooed her. The boyfriend's mother denied that her boyfriend tattooed Hinson, and told Bay News 9 she would tell her side of the story in court.

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Hinson insisted the boyfriend did it.

"He was just, like, 'If they do find it, don't tell them it was me,'" Hinson said. "'Just make something up.'"

Hinson's mother is concerned about her health. She says the man is not licensed and is tattooing others out of the house. Permuy also says he put a tattoo on somebody with hepatitis three days before tattooing her daughter.

"I'm concerned about disease she could have acquired from the actual tattooing," Permuy said.

Permuy said her daughter will undergo testing, and also said she's concerned about others who may have been tattooed by the same man.

"He's acting without a license in an unclean environment," Permuy said. "He's doing children all over the south Tampa area. My daughter has several friends that admitted he's given them tattoos as well."

The tattoo contains the first initals of three friends, including Linzie's "L."

In accordance with Bay News 9's crime guidelines, we are not naming the alleged tattoo artist because he hasn't been charged with a crime.

He told Bay News 9 he does own a tattoo gun, but did not tattoo the child. He says the girls took the gun and did it themselves.

Permuy reported the tattooing to Tampa police and they are investigating. A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said if someone is charged, it would be for Unlawful Tattooing, which is a misdemeanor.

Hinson had this to say about her tattoo:

"It wasn't worth it."