HOUSTON – A Houston mother was behind bars Wednesday, accused of taking her baby to a drug house, where the baby ingested cocaine and opiates.
Ashley Jones, 30, who lives in the 2800 block of Hayes, is charged with child endangerment. She was arrested Tuesday.
According to court documents, Jones took her 1-year-old daughter to a "known drug house" in the 400 block of Woolworth in northeast Houston on May 11, 2011.
Jones told investigators that she took the baby to the home around 11:30 p.m.
While she was there, she left the baby and went to the restroom. She said when she came back downstairs, a woman she did not know was holding the baby.
Jones told police she got upset, took the baby and went back home.
But around 3 a.m., Jones said the baby started shivering and crying. She said she thought it was from a staph infection that the baby had recently had – an infection that caused the little girl to lose a fingertip.
After a few hours with no improvement, Jones took the baby to Texas Children’s Hospital.
"The child had a fever," said Ryan Mitchell, a Harris County assistant district attorney. "(She was) experiencing some chills. (She) was shaking. Looked purple. The eyes were rolling in the back of her head."
Court documents state that the baby tested positive for cocaine and opiates at the emergency room. The criminal complaint didn't specify how much was ingested, but medical experts say any amount is extremely dangerous for such a young child.
"It is a stimulant," said Dr. LaTanya Love, a UTHealth physician. "It can cause changes their blood pressure. You can have seizures, you can have damage to your lungs (and) impaired mental status. So the complications could be severe."
A man who rented the home where the criminal complaint stated Jones had gone for drugs said she hung out at another home down the street.
"My reaction is she's a pretty stupid mom," said the man, who would only give his first name: Avelino. "From what I've seen, obviously she don't give a (expletive) about the baby."
Avelino said he only moved in three months ago -- after the incident -- but that he didn't believe Jones had gotten drugs on his block.
"Man, that chick gets drugs everywhere," he said. "The fact that she comes over here and hangs out don't mean she got it here."
Jones was in jail Wednesday on $2,000 bond.
A spokeswoman for Child Protective Services said the agency took custody of the child back in May, and that she is currently doing well in foster care.
