LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — On Tuesday, Captain Chris Bracewell with the Laurens County Sheriff's Office says they were called to Fairview Park Hospital after a 1-year-old tested positive for methamphetamine.
As a result, they arrested the child's mother, Brenda Willis, and charged her with cruelty to children. The hospital says unfortunately, this is not something new to them.
"We don't do it routinely, but we do test whenever kids come in with strange behavior, and that's been a little bit of an uptick," says Dr. Travan Jasper, the co-medical director of Fairview Park Hospital's emergency department.
He says they can use a simple urine test for meth, but it could be harder to detect in children.
"Kids are often creative anyway, so when a kid comes in and possibly ingests methamphetamines, sometimes, they're just more active and more creative than they usually are," says Jasper.
He says they can find traces of meth in certain medications, but it's standard procedure to call law enforcement when tests come back positive.
"Once we get a positive drug screen for a kid, then it gets escalated to the Department for Child Services," he says.
Jasper says swallowing meth is one thing, but the cooking process is also dangerous, and potentially explosive.
"It can get on clothing, it can get on other things, and when it's on those clothing and other stuff, it is still explosive and it is still dangerous, so sometimes the only way you'll know is because it's a weird, peculiar smell," says Jasper.
The Laurens County Sheriff's Office says they are still investigating how the child took the drugs.
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.