Searcy County Woman Charged with Child Endangerment

A tip to authorities concerning methamphetamine in an infant’s body resulted a charge being filed against a Searcy County woman.

24-year-old Alyssa Jacobs of Leslie is facing a felony count of first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.

According to Searcy County Sheriff Kenny Cassell, his office received information on Aug. 17 from an anonymous individual claiming to have knowledge of an infant experiencing medical complications. The individual stated the complications were believed to be narcotic-induced due to methamphetamine in the infant’s body.

During the investigation, Chief Deputy Dewayne Pierce contacted Jacobs, who was in custody on an unrelated charge. Pierce says during the interview, he learned Jacobs had “failed to contend with certain dangers surrounding the infant.” Jacobs is alleged to have observed the dangers surrounding the infant, did nothing to stop it and didn’t report it to authorities.

Jacobs was accused of a similar crime in Dec. 2020. According to the probable cause affidavit, Jacobs and a male traveled to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock with a two-year-old child. Jacobs and the male said the child had gotten into some Tide pods, and they didn’t know if the pods were ingested. A toxicology report at the hospital came back positive for methamphetamine and clonazepam.

The Department of Human Services was contacted on Dec. 28, 2020, and an investigation determined the child ingested both drugs without the adults’ knowledge. The department also determined the home posed a risk to the health and safety of the alleged victim.

(From KTLO)