A Vancouver woman is accused of causing her year-old son to suffer cardiac arrest after exposing him to fentanyl in a car. The incident occurred last spring, and a social worker said the mother has sought treatment and counseling.
Aleasha D. Danielson, 29, appeared on a summons Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court to face charges of third-degree assault of a child, under the weapon prong, and reckless endangerment. She was placed on supervised release, with the provision that she visit the Clark County Jail to have her booking paperwork processed prior to her arraignment, which is scheduled for March 7.
A social worker with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families told Judge John Fairgrieve that Danielson has progressed through drug treatment and the department's parenting program. The agency now allows Danielson to have unsupervised, four-hour-long visits with her son, she said. But Fairgrieve ordered Tuesday an approved adult must be present during any visits prior to her arraignment.
Emergency services responded April 21 to reports of a 1-year-old suffering cardiac arrest. The child's grandfather performed CPR on him for 12 minutes before AMR and fire crews arrived, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The boy was taken to an area hospital, and medical personnel gave him naloxone in an ambulance and at the hospital. Medical testing showed he was exposed to unknown amounts of fentanyl, court records state.
Detectives said the grandfather told them the child's parents were living with him because they couldn't pay their rent. He said the boy's parents had agreed not to use drugs at his house, the affidavit states.
The grandfather said Danielson told him she was sitting in the car with the boy when he suddenly started gasping for air and having trouble breathing. She said she ran into the house. The responding fire crews told detectives they didn't see any drug paraphernalia in the house where they treated the boy, according to court records.
Detectives said a Child Protective Services investigator reported Danielson and the boy's father admitted to smoking fentanyl in their vehicle.
Both the parents retained attorneys and declined to speak to detectives, the affidavit states.
A few months later, detectives learned deputies had searched the boy's father's phone in connection with another investigation. A deputy on that case reported seeing texts sent to Danielson about their son. The father texted Danielson that he'd warned her several times against leaving anything out where their son could find it.
"He also tells her she never apologized for causing (their son) to overdose and nearly die. Aleasha responded saying she did apologize while they were driving to the hospital the day it happened," the affidavit states.
Court records indicate the child's father has not been charged in connection with this incident.
