Rock Hill woman used drugs while pregnant. She got prison after stillbirth
A Rock Hill woman whose illegal drug use while pregnant ended with the baby’s stillbirth has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Shannandoah Tiffany Harris, 27, used fentanyl and methamphetamine while pregnant in 2023 before the female child was born dead, prosecutors said Tuesday in York County criminal court at the Moss Justice Center. Harris had been in jail without bail for more than two years.
Visiting Judge Carmen Mullen accepted a plea deal between Harris and prosecutors for the 12 years for inflicting great bodily injury on a child.
Harris had originally faced a homicide by child abuse charge and could have faced 30 years to life in prison if convicted of that offense.
Prosecutor: Drug use “very reckless behavior”
Harris initially tested positive for amphetamines and other drugs in April 2023 when the baby had no heartbeat at birth, 16th Circuit Deputy Solicitor John Anthony said.
York County sheriff’s deputies later charged her with homicide by child abuse after testing showed the baby’s system had fentanyl and meth.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration .
Meth is an addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The baby’s cause of death was “acute drug intoxication,” Anthony told Judge Mullen.
Anthony called Harris’s continued drug use right up until days before the stillbirth “very reckless behavior.” The plea agreement ensures Harris serves significant prison time for her actions, Anthony said.
Harris to judge: Drug use for years
Harris told the judge she had used drugs for around seven years but has become “clean” while in jail waiting for her court case to be heard. She said she has taken advantage of drug treatment while in custody.
“I feel like a whole new person,” Harris said in court.
Her lawyer, Ben Hasty of the David Martin law group, asked Mullen to accept the negotiated plea to the lesser charge along with the 12-year sentence.
Harris gets credit for 819 days she has been in jail pending court.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 12:36 PM.
