A needle, spoon, and narcotics bag are seen near a heroin encampment in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 2017. (DOMINICK REUTER/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:56 AM PT – Saturday, June 5, 2021
A Florida couple is being charged with child neglect after their 21-month-old child overdosed. On Friday, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez confirmed Kaitlyn Van Dorn and her partner Blake Pavey are in custody facing felony charges.
The arrests are in relation to an incident that occurred on Jan. 8, where the child overdosed on cocaine before being resuscitated by paramedics. Van Dorn told Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies that while on a walk, the child picked up an unknown object, put it in his mouth and became limp before losing consciousness.
Kaitlyn Van Dorn and Blake Pavey face felony counts of Child Neglect today after a 21-month-old child under their care overdosed on cocaine. Yes, heartbreakingly, you read that right.
Details here: https://t.co/kq1judvvgd pic.twitter.com/looPGeWKRr
— SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) June 3, 2021
Although, Perez said they were unable to recover any sign of a walk even taking place. Therefore, based on their investigation, they believe strongly that the child ingested the narcotics inside the home.
Van Dorn changed her story a few times before leading deputies to a bucket inside the home which had a spoon and tissue inside consistent with the ingestion of narcotics. The spoon was later tested and it was discovered that it yielded positive for fentanyl and cocaine.
Pavey, the child’s father, was released on a $15,000 bond and Van Dorn remains in custody without bond due to a probation violation charge. In the meantime, Perez confirmed the child is okay and has not been in the care of either parent since the incident.
