By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A Wausau man is facing felony charges after his toddler daughter tested positive for marijuana and cocaine at a local hospital.
The 2-year-old girl on May 14 was taken to the Marshfield Medical Center in Weston by her mother, who came home from work to find the girl in an altered medical state. According to court documents, doctors noted the girl had glassy and red eyes with dilated pupils, slow body movement and flaccid body tone, indicating possible symptoms of marijuana use.
The girl’s mother told police she came home from work to find a home that smelled of marijuana and saw her daughter lying on the chest of Tommy Bailey, the child’s father. The girl’s eyes appeared sunken and the girl appeared to be twitching, and was unable to walk to her mother when called.
Bailey allegedly told the girl’s mother the child was “just dehydrated” and “held the car seat hostage for about an hour” while the two argued over whether to take the girl to the emergency room. Eventually, police say, Bailey allegedly admitted that the girl had eaten some THC edibles after a dog knocked over a container.
The girl’s mother, who has not been criminally charged, did leave to take the girl to the ER, while Bailey allegedly called her a “terrible parent because she wouldn’t leave her daughter home to just sleep it off,” court records state.
A rapid drug screening on the girl was positive for THC and cocaine, court documents state.
Police later stopped Bailey on Sherman Street and searched his vehicle, where they allegedly discovered cocaine, THC and other evidence. In the couple’s home, they discovered drug paraphernalia and other items related to drug use, police said.
Bailey was formally charged May 15 in Marathon County Circuit Court with neglecting a child where the consequence is bodily harm, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on a $1,500 signature bond and will appear in court June 22 for a pretrial conference. He is not allowed to have any unsupervised contact with his daughter, as per bond conditions.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
