Two Parents in Utah are currently sitting in jail after being accused of giving their newborn daughter drugs. They allegedly gave their daughter opioids on the very day she was born.
Lacey Christenson, 26, was using drugs while she was pregnant. She was also taking prescription pain medications. This resulted in her daughter being born already addicted to drugs.
Christenson and her boyfriend, Colby Wilde, 29, admitted that Wilde crushed up Suboxone pills and then applied some of it to the infant's gums. He did this so the signs of addiction wouldn't be noticed by the hospital staff, who were out of the room when Wilde applied the drug to the child's gums.
Walmart robbery tipped off authorities
Authorities said that a Walmart theft is what led them to Christenson and Wilde. It's also what tipped them off about the parents' drug crimes. The robbery took place on June 26.
Walmart employees called Spanish Fork police to tell them that a robbery took place. Employees told police that Wilde entered the store with his 2-month-old daughter. Witnesses said they saw him take items from one of the shelves and got a "refund" for them after bringing them to the customer service desk.
Employees took notice and confronted Wilde. That's when he ran off with his daughter still in the car seat. He ran into the store's doors, which cause the car seat to drop to the ground and roll over.
He dropped his daughter a second time after he ran into another door.
Witnesses did try to stop Wilde. However, he sped away after he handed off his daughter to a complete stranger. Eventually, deputies did catch him in a nearby parking lot.
Facing an array of charges
Wilde was arrested and taken into custody on for DUI, as well as for meth, heroin and drug paraphernalia.
He was also taken in for driving without insurance. Later on, he was hit with felony child abuse and theft charges.
Christenson was inside Walmart with Wilde when the theft occurred. She had her three other children with her. She was arrested on an outstanding warrant, while her kids were taken into custody. The infant was brought to the hospital for an evaluation.
A woman went to the couple's home to take care of their pets while they were locked up. That's when she noticed drug paraphernalia, and she notified the police. A search of the home led to the discovery of drugs, including Suboxone, which is used to treat addiction.
The other children were given drugs too
Eventually, authorities learned that the infant and the two younger boys, ages four and two, were given drugs. The boys, including the infant, tested positive for meth. Heroin and morphine were also found in the baby's system.
The discovery led to Wilde and Christenson being charged with four counts of child endangerment. On June 28, Christenson was released from jail and shortly after Wilde was released.
However, they have arrested again a few weeks later and hit with more charges. This time they were accused of distribution of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone.
The children are currently with their brother's father. He was allowed to take temporary custody of the kids. As for Wilde and Christenson, they are sitting in jail. Their bail was set at $10,000, and can only be paid in cash.
