An infant was hospitalized after an investigation revealed the baby’s mother was breastfeeding while taking unprescribed methadone.
The Department of Children and Families launched an investigation after receiving information that 40-year-old Jessica Darlene Kea was abusing drugs in the presence of the infant, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. EMS personnel were called to the home and after an examination, the baby was transported to a local hospital. The infant appeared to be “lethargic and very quiet,” the report said.
Kea was asked to submit to a urine screen, but refused to do so. Kea admitted she would test positive and said she has been taking methadone which has not been prescribed by a physician. She was “very reluctant” to explain how she had obtained the drug.
She was arrested on a felony charge of child abuse and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $2,000 bond.
