A Silver Lake woman was arrested for endangering a child. Police say she abused drugs while pregnant.
A Child Protective Services caseworker responded to Kosciusko Community Hospital when a child was born at 32 weeks and unresponsive on Jan. 21, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office. The caseworker discovered that when the mother, Whitney Kerr, 28, of 10491 S. Pearson Blvd., Silver Lake, gave birth, she tested positive for heroin and THC.
Kerr admitted to using heroin and taking percocet, a schedule II narcotic drug she does not have a prescription for, the affidavit states. The infant was taken to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.
A Lutheran Hospital neonatologist, Dr. Stephan Pepple, said the drug use is a possible factor for the infant’s condition, but it’s difficult to differentiate that from a neurological injury, the report states.
Kerr has a pending criminal case for theft, forgery and fraud. She admitted she stole checks from her mother to purchase heroin. At the time, she was eight weeks pregnant. Kerr was charged with neglecting a child by endangering its life or health and is being held at the Kosciusko County Jail with a $2,000 bond.
(Story By The Times Union)
