Inset, clockwise from top left: Hayden Simmons, Damien Windham, Erica Foley, and Judith Addison (Nassau County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Nassau County Jail & Detention Center (Google Maps).
Four adults in Florida were arrested after a 1-year-old drank from a methamphetamine-laced sippy cup inside their shared home. The quartet then waited several hours before seeking medical attention for the toddler, authorities said.
Hayden Simmons, 21, Damien Windham, 21, Erica Catherine Foley, 45, and Judith Addison, 79, were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count each of child neglect resulting in great bodily harm, authorities announced. All four adults were “permanent residents” of the house where the incident took place.
According to a news release from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Children and Families contacted detectives on Feb. 24 regarding a toddler who “had ingested methamphetamine the previous day.”
During the investigation, detectives learned the 1-year-old “drank from a sippy cup that the parents later discovered contained a bag at the bottom.” Another resident of the home then confirmed that the bag in the child’s cup contained methamphetamine.
“Despite discovering the child had potentially been exposed to the drug, neither the parents nor any of the residents immediately called 911,” the release states.
Instead, they decided to monitor the child overnight. When the toddler began vomiting later that evening, the mother drove the child to a nearby fire station to seek help.
The toddler was later admitted to a local hospital where they were treated for “a possible overdose,” authorities said.
Deputies executed a search warrant at the defendants’ home where they allegedly recovered drug paraphernalia, including several glass pipes and containers with methamphetamine residue. As a result of the search, Foley was charged with an additional count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
All four defendants were booked into the Nassau County Jail & Detention Center. Bonds for Simmons and Windham were set at just over $25,000.
Foley’s bond on the two charges was set at just over $12,000, while Addison’s was set at $5,002.
Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Steven M. Fahlgren issued a court order prohibiting the defendants from having contact with the toddler, records show. It was not immediately clear when the defendants were scheduled to appear in court again.
“This is a heartbreaking and completely preventable situation. A one-year-old child was exposed to a dangerous, illegal drug because the adults in that home failed to provide even the most basic level of care and protection,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said in a statement. “There is absolutely no excuse for methamphetamine to be within reach of a child.”
