A mother and her boyfriend were arrested Wednesday after an extremely high amount of methamphetamine was found in a toxicology screening for a 19-month-old child in June, police report.
Mariah D. Newman, 29, and Zachary W. Lett, 28, both of Seymour, each face preliminary Level 3 felony charges of neglect of a dependent, according to a news release from Lt. C.J. Foster with the Seymour Police Department.
On June 13, Foster said the child was brought to the emergency room at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour with a serious health emergency.
As medical staff examined the child, including toxicology, they learned it had tested positive for amphetamines, Foster said.
The child was eventually transferred to Indiana University Health North in Carmel for more treatment.
Additional toxicology screenings were done on the child at that hospital, and results showed the child had an extremely high amount of methamphetamine in its system, Foster said.
On July 6, investigators with the Seymour Police Department received a preliminary report of child abuse and/or neglect from the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Investigators obtained numerous medical records and conducted interviews with the child’s mother and her boyfriend, who also was a caregiver for the child.
They both admitted to using drugs with the child present and providing care while under the influence.
Both Newman and Lett were booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown on Wednesday afternoon and were being held without bond pending their initial hearings in Jackson Circuit Court.
A Level 3 felony is punishable by three to 16 years with an advisory sentence of nine years upon conviction.