Keshawn Perkins Lasted 24 Hours Then She Began Abusing The Baby

**Whisper** · August 9th, 2010, 07:27 PM

New mother faces felony abuse charges a day after child's birth
A new mother was charged with aggravated child abuse after she admitted to smoking crack two days before her child was born July 29 at Gateway Medical Center.

Keshawn Sharron Perkins, 26, had a baby at Gateway just before 6 p.m. on July 29. About 12 hours later, the newborn's blood tested positive for cocaine, an arrest warrant filed by Clarksville Police Detective Larry Boren says.
[...]

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20...9024/1001/NEWS

Police: Mom smoked crack hours before giving birth

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A Clarksville mother is behind bars after police say she admitted to smoking crack just hours before giving birth.
According to the Leaf-Chronicle, Keshawn Perkins, 26, gave birth on July 29.
The paper reported she was arrested after the newborn's blood tested positive for cocaine.
Perkins is charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect.
[...]

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12945310

Keshawn Perkins, 26, was arrested Friday.

**Valasca** · August 9th, 2010, 07:48 PM

Oh, well, in her defense (though it doesn't warrant defense) she smoked crack before giving birth. She didn't actually beat the baby.
I'm glad officials can now charge egg donor with doing drugs while pregnant.

**Navyvet** · August 9th, 2010, 08:16 PM

I was the child advocate of a baby who was born testing positive for cocaine. These mothers either don't know or don't care about the harm they do to their unborn baby when they use drugs. More states need to charge the mother in cases like this.

**Whisper** · August 9th, 2010, 09:00 PM

I'm in Canada but I thought they already faced charges if baby tested positive and they take baby dont they??
I may be wrong but I though they tested and called child services?
But then again thats prob only the ones they know mom does drugs
I guess they didn't know she did drugs?

**gee** · August 10th, 2010, 11:13 AM

I work at a Children's Hospital and how it works nothing is done until the child is born. I worked in Neonatology for 5 years and there is nothing worse than seeing babies addicted to crack or Heroin.
Once the child is born and they test positive for any drugs DCFS gets called in and they
remove the child. In order for the mother to get the child back she needs to be clean and sober a period of time, Rehab, Get tested regularly. All depends on the circumstances of the mother (family support). We all know that's how it reads in black and white but it does not always work out that way. The horror stories we read about foster care, especially here in LA the poor baby doesn't stand a chance in Hell. Just my opinion.

**Navyvet** · August 10th, 2010, 11:35 AM

Not all states have laws in place to press criminal charges against the mother if her baby tests positive for drugs at birth. All states do have the ability to take custody of the child until the mother can prove that she is fit to raise the child. While most foster homes are not equipped to properly handle babies addicted to drugs, a few are. A friend of mine is one of those foster parents. Her family just finalized the adoption of a baby born addicted to cocaine. My children and I spent his first week of life at their house. I helped with the other children in the home so that the foster mom could hold him 24/7 while he went through withdrawals. If I would have thought she'd care, I would have video taped what he went through so the mother could see what she did to him...