Police fined a Mississippi daycare a mere $50 after they discovered a 9-month-old baby testing positive for crystal meth. This was after her parents picked their baby boy Dean from the daycare, “crying inconsolably,” per Mississippi Today.
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Daycare Only Fined $50 After Baby Left Facility With Crystal Meth In System
The afternoon of May 20 was one of the toughest days for parents Marla and Jonathon Demita. They were unable to console their screaming child all night after picking him up from Little Blessings Daycare in Yazoo City.
“And I’m not talking about fussy crying. I’m talking about blood curling screams,” said Marla. “It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”
That’s when they sought help from the Children’s of Mississippi hospital in Jackson. A drug test revealed that little Dean had methamphetamine in his system. According to a doctor, the infant ingested the dangerous substance sometime between noon and 4 PM.
Such an abysmal mishap should be penalized to the fullest extent, you would think. The Demitas were shocked to learn that the Mississippi Department of Health had only fined the daycare $50.
This minuscule fine felt like a “punch in the gut” to Dean’s mother. Luckily, Dean has since recovered from the incident. He stayed in the hospital for around 12 hours before doctors released him. Despite this, his screams throughout the night showed just how much pain he was in.
Marla couldn’t even recognize her baby as he suffered from the drugs in his system. “It’s like he looked straight through me,” she said. “Like he didn’t know who I was.”
Past Allegations Toward Little Blessings Daycare Revealed
The outlet revealed that this hasn’t been the only issue at Little Blessings. There were two different complaints filed against the facility in 2023 and 2024.
These complaints alleged that workers and the director, Lisa Martin, were “whooping” and hitting children. Not only that, but they allegedly would lock children in dark rooms.
Interestingly, Mississippi Today noticed that these two allegations weren’t available in the Health Department’s public database. They had to obtain the complaints through a public records request.
The outlet did manage to obtain a statement from the daycare facility. Little Blessings described the incident as “distressing” to the Demitas and others. “Consequently, the investigation and determination of abuse or neglect by a caregiver fall under the authority of those agencies,” it read. “Our goal is to ensure that children are safe in licensed childcare programs.”