York County mom charged after baby tests for drugs; 10th parent arrested in 6 months
A York County mother has been arrested after her newborn child tested positive for cocaine, police said.
Candis Lee Sheffield, 31, of Rock Hill was charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person Wednesday by deputies at the Moss Justice Center in York, said Trent Faris, spokesperson for the York County Sheriff’s Office.
The child is in DSS custody but remains hospitalized, said Lt. W.J. Miller, who heads the sheriff’s office violent crimes unit.
Detectives with the sheriff’s office had been investigating Sheffield for more than a month after the child was born, police said. Deputies were told about the positive test by S.C. Department of Social Services agents, Faris said.
“We take allegations of positive drug tests for infants, and any child exposed to drugs in a home or anywhere else, very seriously,” Faris said.
Kevin Brackett, 16th Circuit solicitor, said the first priority in these drug cases is the safety of the child.
This is the 10th parent arrest in six months after a child tested positive for illegal narcotics, according to South Carolina court records and police from York County, Clover and Rock Hill. The previous cases involved mainly opioids and meth, records show.
A conviction for felony child neglect carries up to 10 years in prison.
Sheffield is the York County jail pending a bond hearing.
