York mom who cooked meth with kids in home, had baby in jail sentenced to 8 years

A York County woman whose three children were in her home while methamphetamine was being manufactured - and later had a fourth child while in jail - was sentenced to eight years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to several drug charges, prosecutors said.

Shealee Henigar, 25, of Clover, pleaded guilty to manufacturing the drug and three counts of illegal exposure of children while the drug was being made, as well as other charges from her second arrest, said Leslie Robinson, 16th Circuit assistant solicitor. Henigar was out on bond in 2014 and pregnant when she was re-arrested on more drug charges.

She later had a fourth child while in the York County Detention Center.

In the incident in December 2013, Henigar and David Lee Ray, 30, were charged and the three children, ages 3, 2, and 9 months, were taken into emergency custody. The S.C. Department of Social Services has retained custody of the children and also took custody of the fourth child born while Henigar was jailed pending court, Robinson said.

When drug agents and other police arrived at the Clover-area home they found a one-pot meth lab that can make the drug using household chemicals and other materials. The labs are considered highly dangerous and are prone to explosion.

The children had to be decontaminated at the time and later tested positive for the drugs from being in the home, police said at the time of arrest.

Ray pleaded guilty to similar charges in May and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 2:56 PM with the headline "York mom who cooked meth with kids in home, had baby in jail sentenced to 8 years."