VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A mother was arrested Wednesday after her 20-month-old son was found unresponsive with marijuana in his system, according to the South Daytona Police Department.
Officers said they were called to a South Daytona home on Green Acres South around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday and found a father holding his son, who appeared unresponsive and not breathing.
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According to a charging affidavit, the child’s father said he was woken up by Evone Clifton, who made their son a bottle and started crying when he “was not drinking or responding,” the affidavit reads.
The child was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered through a urinalysis that he tested positive for the presence of cannabinoids, a chemical found in marijuana, police said.
Police questioned Clifton, 39, on the scene. Officers said she had trouble responding due to “her heightened emotional status and possible impairment.”
Investigators said Clifton had “slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, seemingly uncontrolled body movements, and abnormal sweating” and admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana recently.
The child’s father told officers Clifton “drinks alcohol instead of taking the proper medication,” often drinking two to three small bottles of liquor a day, the affidavit shows.
According to investigators, Clifton told them it was possible her son ingested “a package of the medication” lying on the floor. Police also observed a white vape pen with marijuana oil near the child’s crib, as well as a bottle with unidentified yellow liquid inside, according to the affidavit.
When police questioned Clifton about what kind of oil was in the pen, she said it was “none of your (expletive) business oil,” according to investigators.
Officers said they also spoke with the child’s grandfather, who said he was woken from his sleep when he heard his grandson screaming, but did not see anything “out of the ordinary” beforehand.
The child is currently in stable condition and in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
Clifton is facing a charge of child neglect causing great harm.
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