Parents Arrested After Leaving Child Alone Following THC Gummy Ingestion to Attend Football Game
Authorities charged a couple with child endangerment after they allegedly left their 4-year-old for eight hours following a THC gummy incident.
A couple has been arrested in Louisiana after allegedly leaving their 4-year-old child unattended for eight hours, despite knowing the child had ingested a THC gummy. The parents, identified as Mary Cormier, 36, and David Butt, 34, reportedly prioritized attending a Louisiana State University football game over seeking medical attention for the child.
According to Scott Police, officers were alerted to the situation on Saturday. They stated that the parents were aware of the child consuming a cannabis-infused product but chose to leave him with another juvenile while they attended the game. The child was later found unresponsive.
The child was transported to an area hospital and is currently in intensive care.
Cormier and Butt face charges including second-degree cruelty to juveniles, child desertion, and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. They were taken into custody at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and have since been released on bond.
Data from the National Institute of Health indicates that unintentional marijuana ingestion in children under five can be particularly dangerous. In 2020, such cases accounted for 41% of all poison control encounters for this age group. Symptoms of marijuana toxicity in children can range from somnolence and nausea to more severe outcomes like respiratory failure, seizures, and unresponsiveness.