A West Virginia mother has been charged with child neglect after her autistic six-year-old son tested positive for cocaine following a fall from a second-story apartment window.
Stevie Thibodeaux, 30, faces a felony charge of gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. The incident occurred Monday in Fairmont, West Virginia. According to a criminal complaint, a deputy from the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of the child jumping from the window and observed an open window with its screen on the ground. Thibodeaux told the deputy she was asleep at the time and that her son is autistic.
The child was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital for evaluation. His current condition has not been released.
The following day, the sheriff's office was notified by Child Protective Services that the boy had tested positive for cocaine at the hospital. Based on the positive drug test results, police obtained a search warrant for Thibodeaux's apartment.
During the search, deputies reported finding a white plate with a food stamp card, a white powder substance, and drug paraphernalia, described as a 'tooter' or straw for snorting drugs. Thibodeaux, who was not present when the search began, returned to the apartment during the search and was arrested. She is alleged to have admitted to police that she used cocaine in the apartment and that the plate found was where she would prepare the drugs. She stated that her son could have accessed the plate from her closet.
Thibodeaux is being held in the North Central Regional Jail on a $5,000 bond. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison. The charge against her is punishable by up to 10 years in prison under West Virginia law.