VANCOUVER, Wash. — A mother was arrested in Vancouver Thursday night after her 3-year-old child experienced a drug overdose. Vancouver police said the child's grandmother had to administer two doses of Narcan to the child to get them breathing again.
Summer Justice Ward, 27, was booked into the Clark County Jail and faces multiple charges, including endangerment with a controlled substance, second-degree criminal mistreatment, resisting arrest, obstructing a law enforcement officer and possession of a controlled substance.
Fire crews and paramedics responded to an apartment in the area of Northeast 109th Street and 38th Avenue at around 8 p.m. Thursday. When officers arrived, Ward was inside a bedroom with the child and was refusing entry to medical crews, police said. Officers forced the door open and were able to get the child, who was taken to the hospital for "urgent medical treatment." Vancouver police did not report a current medical status of the 3-year-old.
Officers searched Ward's clothing and found a plastic bag with white powder and foil. A field test of the powder tested positive for methamphetamine, Vancouver police said.
Naloxone, known under the brand name Narcan, has proven effective for reversing opioid overdoses, and has become a vital tool for averting death in cases of fentanyl overdose. However, it does not work on overdoses from other classes of drug — so it's unclear if the child came into contact with any other substances, or if the Narcan was not responsible for reviving the child.
The 3-year-old and Ward's other child, a 2-year-old, were placed in protective custody with Washington State Child Protective Services. Detectives from the Vancouver Child Abuse Unit are investigating.
Vancouver police said that was the second time Thursday that officers responded to a child who had consumed illicit substances, though they didn't report more information about the other incident.
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