Background: A portion of the 200 block of Simba Way in Lexington, Kentucky (Google Maps). Inset left: Sean East (Fayette County Detention Center). Inset right: Courtney Johnson (WDKY/Fayette County Detention Center).
A Kentucky mother and her husband have been arrested after authorities say the couple’s toddlers consumed roughly 20 “hemp gummies” and overdosed. Investigators allege the adults waited more than five hours before seeking emergency assistance.
Sean East, 33, was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center Wednesday on charges of child abuse or neglect, according to jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. He remains held on a $20,000 cash bond.
Courtney Johnson, 30, is no longer listed as an inmate at the facility. However, regional Fox affiliate WDKY reports that she faces the same charges and was arrested before investigators apparently connected East to the incident.
Lexington police and firefighters responded to a residence in the 200 block of Simba Way around noon on July 26 after receiving a report that two toddlers had overdosed. Court documents obtained by the local outlet state that the children, approximately 3 and 4 years old, were unconscious after allegedly ingesting “hemp gummies.”
Emergency responders transported both children to a nearby hospital for treatment.
EXPLORE MORE: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber Hold Hands After Dog Presley Dies
Johnson, the children’s mother, reportedly told first responders that she had left a container of “hemp gummies” out the previous night and consumed one before going to bed. She allegedly said she “likely left” the package on her bathroom sink, where the toddlers found it and ate approximately 20 gummies.
Authorities say Johnson told them she did not discover what had occurred until about 7 a.m. the next day. Police noted, however, that no one contacted emergency services for more than five additional hours.
After Johnson was jailed, she apparently told someone by phone that East, her husband, had been the adult who left the gummies unsecured. Investigators examining the couple’s phones reportedly found text messages in which East accepted responsibility for the children’s ingestion of the gummies.
East was subsequently arrested. Court documents state that the charges would apply regardless of which adult left the gummies accessible because of the “unreasonable amount of time” the couple allegedly took to seek medical help, according to WDKY.
The post Mother and her husband waited over 5 hours to call for help after her toddlers overdosed on 20 ‘hemp gummies’: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.
