TOOELE COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 13, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The mother of a newborn in Tooele County has been booked into jail after she allegedly left the infant at the hospital, saying she would return, and seeking illegal drugs.
Gephardt Daily is not releasing the name of the woman, in her 30s, to protect the privacy of victims.
Tooele City police were contacted Saturday about a “newborn baby needing to be flown by Air-Med to the University of Utah for withdrawals,” the woman’s arrest documents say. “Medical staff said (the woman) had left the hospital and hadn’t seen or heard from her in seven hours, and when (she) left the hospital, she refused to sign the AMA form.”
That is a required form for patients leaving the hospital against medical advice.
Tooele City police located the woman at a friend’s house, her affidavit says.
“(She) stated she did not relinquish her rights to the hospital and had admitted to smoking fentanyl after leaving her baby there, but planned on returning to the hospital to be with her baby.”
The woman was transported to the Tooele County Jail and booked on suspicion of child abandonment, a third-degree felony.
Arrest documents noted that “the current offense is a felony committed while on probation or parole, or while free on bail awaiting trial on a previous felony charge.”
It also noted the woman has a documented history of substance abuse. The woman was ordered held without bail.
