MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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January 4, 2010

Drug test to set path in abandonment case



If a baby that was abandoned Dec. 19 tests positive for drugs, the mother could face criminal charges.

Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore said Monday his office is waiting for drug test results for a baby that was born and abandoned Dec. 19 at Muskogee Regional Medical Center.

Moore said if the baby tested positive for drugs, the mother could face neglect charges because of her own drug abuse. The test results could take weeks.

A police report states that the mother has already tested positive for marijuana. She allegedly abandoned her baby three hours after giving birth.

Moore said he believes the child is living with one of the mother’s relatives.

State law allows for a baby 7 days or younger to be voluntarily delivered to a medical services provider or a child rescuer who can take possession of the child if the child is voluntarily delivered to the entity by the child’s parent and the parent did not express an intent to return for the child, the law states.

The Department of Human Services must be notified immediately.

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