A man in Florida was taken into custody after reportedly committing a drug crime and neglecting a child. His arrest came after authorities said a toddler, 2, ended up testing positive for cocaine. However, anyone facing charges related to recreational drugs, such as cocaine, cannot be convicted unless prosecutors can prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The chain of events leading to the man’s arrest started on a recent Monday. A woman reportedly took the child to the hospital because she was worried about how the baby was acting. Following several tests, medical staff determined that cocaine was in the child’s system. Police said the woman told them that she had picked up the child from the arrested man’s home earlier in the day and noticed that the toddler was lethargic.
That is when the woman expressed concern that the man had been using cocaine in the child’s presence. The man did not want to talk to detectives and also refused to complete a drug test. However, following a judge’s order to undergo a drug test, authorities discovered that the man’s system contained cocaine as well as cocaine metabolites, or broken-down form of the drug. It was not immediately clear if the man had given the baby cocaine or if the child came into contact with the drug another way. The man faces a count of child neglect as a result.
Facing charges related to recreational drugs can understandably be frightening, as a drug conviction can lead to time behind bars. In addition to losing their freedom, convicted individuals may also lose out on certain job opportunities in the future due to their criminal records. However, an attorney will fight for the most personally favorable outcome for the defendant during this type of criminal case in Florida.
Source: palmbeachpost.com, “Florida girl, 2, tests positive for cocaine; man arrested“, Hannah Winston, Dec. 4, 2017