Negligent injuring, drug charges filed against woman

A Louisiana woman may end up losing custody of her two children, 2 and 4 years old, after authorities said her younger child consumed crystal meth. The woman currently faces negligent injuring and drug charges, among other charges. She is 21 years old.

According to police, the woman went to the hospital on a recent Sunday night since her 2-year-old was displaying erratic behavior. The woman reportedly told doctors that she was unsure about what was causing the behavior. Police reported that an emergency room doctor then completed a blood test on the toddler and determined that the blood had a large amount of methamphetamine in it.

Officials said that after doctors performed an examination of the child, they said that the toddler had eaten the drug. The child was stabilized and taken to another hospital’s pediatric unit to receive care. The woman was reportedly uncooperative with the physicians as well as with the Department of Children and Family Services for Louisiana. However, police said she later acknowledged that she had meth inside her purse and that her child had access to the purse in a hotel room. The woman now faces charges of illegally using a drug in front of a child, improperly supervising a minor, being cruel to juveniles and negligent injuring.

When people in Louisiana face drug charges and other criminal charges, the allegations must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt before any criminal conviction can take place. These individuals — alongside their legal counsel — may seek to negotiate plea agreements with prosecutors instead of going to trial, however, since a plea agreement may lead to a lighter sentence than what might result following a guilty verdict at trial. The defense will fight for the outcome that protects the defendant’s best interests.

Source: nbc4i.com, “Louisiana mother arrested after child, age 2, eats crystal meth“, May 10, 2016