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Police Say 9-Month-Old Boy Ate Cocaine; Father Charged
MONROE, N.C. -- A 9-month-old boy was in critical condition after eating cocaine left within his reach by the child's father and two friends, authorities said.
Monroe police said the boy had been left alone in a room at his father's home in northwest Monroe on Saturday. The father and two friends returned to the room and found the child had swallowed some of the cocaine. Police have not said how much.
The three men took the baby to a local hospital, but doctors there sent the child via helicopter to the main Charlotte branch of Carolinas Medical Center. He was in critical condition Sunday night. The child's condition was not immediately available Monday.
The father, Brandon Scott Lewis, 22, was charged with possession of cocaine, authorities said.
Jonathan Lawrence Henderson, 37, and David Autry, 19, both of Matthews, were charged with possession and delivery of the drug, authorities said. Both men also face charges of assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
Lewis was released on $15,000 bond, according to officials at the Union County jail. Autry was released on $5,000 bond. Henderson remained in custody Monday.
Autopsy Shows Deputies Shot Durham Teen In Head
DA Vows To Probe Fatal Shooting
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- A Durham teen who was killed late Friday by sheriff's deputies in Wilmington died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Medical Examiner's Office in Jacksonville.
Peyton Strickland, 18, and his German shepherd were killed after he answered a knock at the door of his off-campus residence. Six to eight deputies had accompanied University of North Carolina at Wilmington police to serve arrest and search warrants at the house, authorities said.
Three deputies have been placed on paid leave pending the results of an internal investigation and a review of the case by the State Bureau of Investigation.
New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David on Monday declined to discuss the details of the incident and asked the public not to rush to judgment
"I recognize that any time we're dealing with the loss of a life, we're talking about someone's baby," David said. "No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection. I commit to Peyton Strickland's family and to the men and women of law enforcement who I advise that I will go wherever the truth leads."
David said he has spoken with Strickland's father and that he planned to meet with the family in Durham on Tuesday.
Strickland, who was studying welding at Cape Fear Community College, was named in warrants charging him with armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering a vehicle. The charges stem from a Nov. 17 incident in which UNC-W student Justin Raines, of Apex, was assaulted and robbed of two PlayStation 3 consoles, authorities said.
One suspect allegedly beat Raines with a 6-inch blunt object while another allegedly stole the game consoles, authorities said.
Ryan David Mills, of Durham, who lives at another Wilmington address, also was charged in the case. He has been released on bond.
David said investigators continue to collect information and gather evidence in the case, so he didn't want to disrupt that process by discussing it publicly. He said he would update the media on the case on Dec. 11.
"I call for calm in the community while we are working hard on this," he said.
Seven bullet fragments were recovered from the house after the shooting, according to a search warrant. Drug paraphernalia also was seized from the house, the warrant said.
The state Attorney General's Office has been consulted, and David was expected to review evidence, including the door of Strickland's residence, with investigators to see if the shooting was justified.
Strickland's roommate said Strickland was unarmed when he was shot, although he might have had a video game controller in his hand when he went to the door. David wouldn't say whether deputies believed the teen was armed at the time they went to his residence.
New Hanover County Sheriff Sid Causey called the need for deputies to back up UNC-W officers a "safety issue."
Authorities haven't specified what the safety issue was, but a search warrant stated that Strickland had a previous felony assault on his record and that another suspect in the case, who lived at a different address, was known to carrry a firearm.
Back in Durham, a flood of friends and family has surrounded the Strickland family in recent days. The teen's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
"We may well want to speak more about the circumstances of his tragic death, but we plan to devote the next few days to celebrating his life," family friend Don Beskind said.
Hospitalized Baby Was Drunk, Police Say
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A 2-month-old girl is expected to be OK despite having a blood-alcohol content that was more than four times the legal limit for adults who drive.
The baby girl and her mother were dropped off at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning by the mother's boyfriend. The man took off and now the Colorado Springs Police Department is searching for him.
The infant was brought in with a blood-alcohol level of 0.364, investigators said.
"I can't fathom how that can happen. Obviously, there's quite a concern for the child. There has to be some sort of negligent act here, but further investigation will bear that out," said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Steve Ward.
The baby's mother is the focus of the criminal investigation, TV station KMGH reported. But police said it's been difficult to figure out exactly what happened because the mother is telling conflicting stories.
"There have been some accidental ingestions, but with a 2-month-old, they don't get around very well. It's hard to believe that it would be an accidental ingestion by the baby itself. I would have to think the alcohol was somehow made available to the baby," Ward said.
Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Miracle said alcohol is "virtually a poison" at levels as high as those found in the infant.
"Any time you give alcohol to a child, and at that quantity, it is extremely dangerous," she said.
A similar situation took place in Erie, Colo., this past October when a 17-month-old boy ended up in the hospital with a blood-alcohol level of 0.195. An emergency room doctor told KMGH he was in shock.
"Not to be comatose at that stage, they maybe would've had to have a tolerance," said Dr. Kerry Broderick with Denver Health.
Hospital staff said the extent of the alcohol poisoning is so rare, they're not sure what kind of long-term effects the baby might suffer. They said they've treated the baby for poisoning and hope she will be fine.
The Colorado Springs child as placed into the custody of the El Paso County Dept. of Human Services while police continue their investigation.
Police don't know what role, if any, the boyfriend played in the situation and that's why they want to speak with him. But they said finding him won't be easy because he lives out of his car.
Teen Suspected In Woman's Death Arrested After Chase
LUMBERTON, N.C. -- Authorities chased a teenager wanted in the slaying of an elderly Harnett County woman at speeds up to 100 mph Sunday evening before stopping him on Interstate 95 in Robeson County.
Authorities wouldn't disclose the 15-year-old's name or the name of the woman who was killed.
The minivan the boy was driving was stopped about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after authorities punctured the vehicle's tires with spike-studded sticks. The boy sideswiped another vehicle during the 50-mile chase on rain-slickened roads as he drove the van on its rims before spinning into a ditch.
The chase began in Harnett County and went through Fort Bragg and Fayetteville before the vehicle drove onto I-95. The passengers in the car that was sideswiped suffered minor injuries, and the teen suspect wasn't hurt, authorities said.
Investigators were called to the woman's home by neighbors who heard sounds of fighting from her mobile home. Authorities were told a boy drove away in her van.
Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins wouldn't describe the relationship between the boy and the woman or disclose how she was killed.
MONROE, N.C. -- A 9-month-old boy was in critical condition after eating cocaine left within his reach by the child's father and two friends, authorities said.
Monroe police said the boy had been left alone in a room at his father's home in northwest Monroe on Saturday. The father and two friends returned to the room and found the child had swallowed some of the cocaine. Police have not said how much.
The three men took the baby to a local hospital, but doctors there sent the child via helicopter to the main Charlotte branch of Carolinas Medical Center. He was in critical condition Sunday night. The child's condition was not immediately available Monday.
The father, Brandon Scott Lewis, 22, was charged with possession of cocaine, authorities said.
Jonathan Lawrence Henderson, 37, and David Autry, 19, both of Matthews, were charged with possession and delivery of the drug, authorities said. Both men also face charges of assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
Lewis was released on $15,000 bond, according to officials at the Union County jail. Autry was released on $5,000 bond. Henderson remained in custody Monday.
Autopsy Shows Deputies Shot Durham Teen In Head
DA Vows To Probe Fatal Shooting
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- A Durham teen who was killed late Friday by sheriff's deputies in Wilmington died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Medical Examiner's Office in Jacksonville.
Peyton Strickland, 18, and his German shepherd were killed after he answered a knock at the door of his off-campus residence. Six to eight deputies had accompanied University of North Carolina at Wilmington police to serve arrest and search warrants at the house, authorities said.
Three deputies have been placed on paid leave pending the results of an internal investigation and a review of the case by the State Bureau of Investigation.
New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David on Monday declined to discuss the details of the incident and asked the public not to rush to judgment
"I recognize that any time we're dealing with the loss of a life, we're talking about someone's baby," David said. "No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection. I commit to Peyton Strickland's family and to the men and women of law enforcement who I advise that I will go wherever the truth leads."
David said he has spoken with Strickland's father and that he planned to meet with the family in Durham on Tuesday.
Strickland, who was studying welding at Cape Fear Community College, was named in warrants charging him with armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering a vehicle. The charges stem from a Nov. 17 incident in which UNC-W student Justin Raines, of Apex, was assaulted and robbed of two PlayStation 3 consoles, authorities said.
One suspect allegedly beat Raines with a 6-inch blunt object while another allegedly stole the game consoles, authorities said.
Ryan David Mills, of Durham, who lives at another Wilmington address, also was charged in the case. He has been released on bond.
David said investigators continue to collect information and gather evidence in the case, so he didn't want to disrupt that process by discussing it publicly. He said he would update the media on the case on Dec. 11.
"I call for calm in the community while we are working hard on this," he said.
Seven bullet fragments were recovered from the house after the shooting, according to a search warrant. Drug paraphernalia also was seized from the house, the warrant said.
The state Attorney General's Office has been consulted, and David was expected to review evidence, including the door of Strickland's residence, with investigators to see if the shooting was justified.
Strickland's roommate said Strickland was unarmed when he was shot, although he might have had a video game controller in his hand when he went to the door. David wouldn't say whether deputies believed the teen was armed at the time they went to his residence.
New Hanover County Sheriff Sid Causey called the need for deputies to back up UNC-W officers a "safety issue."
Authorities haven't specified what the safety issue was, but a search warrant stated that Strickland had a previous felony assault on his record and that another suspect in the case, who lived at a different address, was known to carrry a firearm.
Back in Durham, a flood of friends and family has surrounded the Strickland family in recent days. The teen's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
"We may well want to speak more about the circumstances of his tragic death, but we plan to devote the next few days to celebrating his life," family friend Don Beskind said.
Hospitalized Baby Was Drunk, Police Say
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A 2-month-old girl is expected to be OK despite having a blood-alcohol content that was more than four times the legal limit for adults who drive.
The baby girl and her mother were dropped off at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning by the mother's boyfriend. The man took off and now the Colorado Springs Police Department is searching for him.
The infant was brought in with a blood-alcohol level of 0.364, investigators said.
"I can't fathom how that can happen. Obviously, there's quite a concern for the child. There has to be some sort of negligent act here, but further investigation will bear that out," said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Steve Ward.
The baby's mother is the focus of the criminal investigation, TV station KMGH reported. But police said it's been difficult to figure out exactly what happened because the mother is telling conflicting stories.
"There have been some accidental ingestions, but with a 2-month-old, they don't get around very well. It's hard to believe that it would be an accidental ingestion by the baby itself. I would have to think the alcohol was somehow made available to the baby," Ward said.
Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Miracle said alcohol is "virtually a poison" at levels as high as those found in the infant.
"Any time you give alcohol to a child, and at that quantity, it is extremely dangerous," she said.
A similar situation took place in Erie, Colo., this past October when a 17-month-old boy ended up in the hospital with a blood-alcohol level of 0.195. An emergency room doctor told KMGH he was in shock.
"Not to be comatose at that stage, they maybe would've had to have a tolerance," said Dr. Kerry Broderick with Denver Health.
Hospital staff said the extent of the alcohol poisoning is so rare, they're not sure what kind of long-term effects the baby might suffer. They said they've treated the baby for poisoning and hope she will be fine.
The Colorado Springs child as placed into the custody of the El Paso County Dept. of Human Services while police continue their investigation.
Police don't know what role, if any, the boyfriend played in the situation and that's why they want to speak with him. But they said finding him won't be easy because he lives out of his car.
Teen Suspected In Woman's Death Arrested After Chase
LUMBERTON, N.C. -- Authorities chased a teenager wanted in the slaying of an elderly Harnett County woman at speeds up to 100 mph Sunday evening before stopping him on Interstate 95 in Robeson County.
Authorities wouldn't disclose the 15-year-old's name or the name of the woman who was killed.
The minivan the boy was driving was stopped about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after authorities punctured the vehicle's tires with spike-studded sticks. The boy sideswiped another vehicle during the 50-mile chase on rain-slickened roads as he drove the van on its rims before spinning into a ditch.
The chase began in Harnett County and went through Fort Bragg and Fayetteville before the vehicle drove onto I-95. The passengers in the car that was sideswiped suffered minor injuries, and the teen suspect wasn't hurt, authorities said.
Investigators were called to the woman's home by neighbors who heard sounds of fighting from her mobile home. Authorities were told a boy drove away in her van.
Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins wouldn't describe the relationship between the boy and the woman or disclose how she was killed.