By Shereen Siewert
A 38-year-old Wausau-area woman is facing multiple criminal charges after police and social workers, performing a welfare check on her child, allegedly discovered illegal drugs in a toy box and on the floor next to a pacifier.
Anna L. Bauman, of Weston, faces one felony and one misdemeanor count of child neglect, along with a felony charge of using a child to manufacture or distribute a drug, among other related charges. She will be summoned into court Oct. 1 for an initial appearance.
An investigation began in June, when an Everest Metro Police detective and Marathon County social worker visited Bauman to check the welfare of her 15-month-old son, who had not been seen by a medical provider since August 2020. During the child’s appointment, doctors discovered the child was in the 4th percentile and not gaining weight, court documents state. Bauman allegedly refused to return with the child for future weight checks, prompting concerns that the child was failing to thrive, police said.
When investigators arrived they discovered an electronic vaping device with an attached THC cartridge in plain view on top of toys in a toy box, according to court documents. Another device was within close proximity of two pacifiers and a baby bottle, all within reach of the children in the home.
One of the children told the social worker that Bauman regularly had him retrieve marijuana cartridges delivered to the home that were placed outside the door. Police also discovered methamphetamine in the home, court documents state.
Lab reports on hair follicles, returned in early August, showed one the presence of amphetamines, methamphetamines and cannabinoids in one of the children, according to the criminal complaint.
Bauman is not currently in custody.
