Near overdose of 5-year-old results in drug charges for parents

It is not uncommon for one criminal charge to snowball into other criminal charges. It is also not uncommon for the prosecution to charge as many crimes as possible, in the hopes that one, two or three of them might stick.

That scenario recently played out recently when a Severn couple’s 5-year-old son needed medical attention for an accidental poisoning from methadone, and the couple ended up with multiple drug charges and an arrest by Anne Arundel County officers.

The incident began when the Severn couple’s son accidently drank some methadone that was in a cup in the console of the car. The father called the poison control center and was advised to bring the child in. The couple waited a bit, and when the 5-year-old took a turn for the worse, they brought the boy in.

According to news sources, the boy had thrown up and stopped breathing. He was revived at the hospital.

A subsequent search of the couple’s home resulted in the seizure of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, methadone and two guns. The couple has been charged with drug crimes as a result, in addition to charges of child abuse and child neglect.

In this particular case, the drugs that were found may or may not be allowed as evidence depending upon whether or not all of the search and seizure procedures were properly followed. Also, an accidental poisoning is not necessarily an indication of child abuse.

As with any criminal charge, those who are charged are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “Severn couple facing child abuse charges after child drank methadone,” Andrea F. Siegel, Sept. 28, 2012

At our Baltimore criminal defense law office we represent individuals charged with drug charges including possession and possession with intent to sell as well as child abuse or neglect as described in this post.

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