A 9-month-old child was hospitalized in West Covina Wednesday for having high levels of cocaine and methamphetamine in her bloodstream, officials said.
The child’s parents, Erin Jill Maloney, 37 and Richard A Rapp, 34, were taken into custody the same day on suspicion of felony child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance, the West Covina Police Department said in a
news release.
Police responded to a call around 12:30 a.m. from suspicious hospital staff about a 9-month-old girl who was brought in by her parents suffering from respiratory distress, officials said.
Hospital staff ultimately determined the child had detectable levels of cocaine and meth in her bloodstream, according to police. The child is now in stable condition.
Officers placed the child into protective custody, which the department said “ensured lifesaving care.”
Detectives executed a search warrant at the parents’ home and recovered suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia in both their home and the vehicle used to take the child to the hospital, officials said.
The suspected narcotics were in plain sight and in a location easily accessible to a child, according to the department.
Bail is set at $100,000 each for Maloney and Rapp.
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