Authorities have charged the parents of a 4-year-old boy who overdosed on fentanyl on his birthday in November at their home in Golf Manor, Ohio.
authorities found Denard Bishop, 39, was arrested on Thursday, and the child's mother, identified as 34-year-old Alexis Scarborough, was arrested a few days earlier, Fox 19 reported Friday.
video footage show The woman said she was visiting her son, whom she does not have custody of, when the incident occurred, according to court and WLWT reports.
The two adults are now charged with child endangerment, according to a Fox 19 article. The outlet detailed the incident:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reported the Nov. 25 incident at Dennard's Golf Manor home as “child abuse,” according to a criminal complaint.
The boy was found “breathing in agony” while napping, police wrote in an affidavit in separate court records.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, labored breathing is a near-death condition in which a person gasps for air without sufficient oxygen.
Mr. Scarborough has since pleaded not guilty in the case. Her judge rejected her lawyer's request to release her on her own recognizance so she could work as a hotel room attendant.
They were also told not to have contact with children without their permission. The woman's bond was set at $10,000.
Meanwhile, “officers said in November that Bishop neglected to care for a 4-year-old boy while the child's mother was visiting,” WLWT announced. report Friday:
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) explained Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid approved as an analgesic and anesthetic.
“It is approximately 100 times more potent as a painkiller than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin,” authorities said.
On Thursday, country star and rapper Jelly Roll testified at a Senate committee hearing about the devastating impact the fentanyl crisis has had on Americans, Breitbart News reports.
He talked about his life and the drug problems that led to his prison sentence. Now he is an advocate for victims of drug traffickers.
Watch the video here:
Roughly 190 people die every day from fentanyl abuse, he said, which is the equivalent of a 737 at full capacity.
“Can you imagine the attention you would get if the national media reported that 190 people were killed in plane crashes every day?” he asked.
“But with 190 drug addicts, we don't feel that way, because America needs to deal with drug addicts and try to understand what the real root of the problem is. Instead, they are known for bullying and shaming,” he told senators.
