Police learned that a disco owned and operated by Carey Nations employed a 16-year-old girl

Police learned that a disco owned and operated by Carey Nations employed a 16-year-old girl who ‘‘danced’’ for ‘‘tips.’’ After observing the girl dancing with another female, the police questioned Nations, believing that at least one of the girls appeared to be ‘‘young.’’ Nations told them she had verified the girl as being of legal age through identification before she hired her, a statement that was untrue since the young girl in question lacked proper identification the day Nations hired her. The police took the child into custody, and Nations was charged with endangering the welfare of a child ‘‘less than 17 years old’’ under § 568.050 of the State’s Criminal Code, which provided that a person be found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child if she ‘‘knowingly encourages, aids, or causes’’ a child less than 17 years old to be exposed to an environment injurious to the child’s welfare.