Boy, 12, collapses during ATV trip with his brother, 13, after their dad gave them LAUGHING GAS behind their mom's back

An Arizona father was arrested for allegedly inhaling nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, with his two sons, 12 and 13, one of whom passed out during an ATV trip.

Ryan Belknap and his children inhaled the laughing gas 'repeatedly' and 'continuously' for several hours while they were out four-wheeling in the Ash Fork area, according to a Facebook post from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

One of the boys lost consciousness due to the overwhelming amount of the drug he was given 'but was not given medical help.'

The mother, Belknap's ex, filed a child abuse report with the sheriff's office on June 4, which alleged there was an incriminating video shot by one of the boys showing all of them inhaling the anesthetic through balloons.

The woman's 16-year-old daughter, who police say wasn't on the ATV trip, showed her mother the video.

This off-roading adventure occurred during the boys' scheduled visitation with their father on Sunday last week, according to police.

After police interviewed the mother and the children about this incident, they tracked Belknap down to his residence in Cornville, which is about an hour and a half away from Ash Fork.

A search of his home turned up 'numerous large canisters of Nitrous Oxide' and 'balloons to inhale the drug,' police said.

Belknap was arrested and charged with an litany of offenses, including child abuse endangerment. He was booked into jail last Wednesday evening.

People who use nitrous oxide recreationally often dispense the canisters containing the drug into balloons like the ones police said were at Belknap's home. 

Then, they put the balloon into their mouth and inhale the gas.

The drug, most commonly used at dentist's offices to put patients under for procedures, is known to produce near instantaneous euphoria and uncontrolled laughter- hence its name. 

Unlike controlled substances such as cocaine or heroine, it's actually not illegal to possess nitrous oxide.

Despite that, laughing gas, which experts say can become addictive if used repeatedly, is federally illegal to use recreationally. 

It's also against the law to inhale laughing gas while operating a motor vehicle, potentially opening Belknap up to even more legal trouble.

If someone inhales too much laughing gas, they could be at risk of a heart attack, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.