CAMDEN COUNTY, Fla. – A Camden County mother was arrested after her 1-year-old child was found unconscious and later tested positive for synthetic fentanyl, the sheriff’s office said.
Natalie Pierantonis was taken into custody after Camden County deputies, the Kingsland Police Department and emergency medical crews responded to a residence early July 13. At about 4 a.m., the county 911 center received a call reporting the child was unresponsive, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Officers from the Kingsland Police Department were first on the scene and gave one dose of naloxone (Narcan) to the child, who was transported by Camden County EMS to Southeast Georgia Health System’s Camden campus and later transferred to a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where the child remains hospitalized and is continuing to recover.
First responders found a small piece of aluminum foil with a white residue in the child’s mouth, investigators said. A search warrant executed at the home turned up suspected illegal narcotics, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.
Testing of the residue reportedly returned a positive result for synthetic fentanyl. Drug screening at the residence indicated occupants tested positive for multiple controlled substances, and medical testing confirmed the child had an elevated level of fentanyl in their system.
As a result of the investigation, Pierantonis was charged with possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance (felony); possession and use of drug-related objects (misdemeanor); possession of a Schedule I controlled substance (felony); cruelty to children in the second degree (felony); and reckless conduct (misdemeanor). The child has been placed in protective care and is no longer in the mother’s custody, authorities said.
“There is no excuse — none — for a one-year-old child to have fentanyl in their system,” Sheriff Kevin Chaney said in a statement. “Thanks to the quick actions of the Kingsland Police Department, our deputies, and our emergency medical personnel, this child is alive today. If you choose drugs over your children, you should expect to answer for those decisions.”
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is active and additional charges or arrests may be forthcoming.