A daycare operator in Maryland is facing charges of child neglect stemming from an incident last April when a young child was discovered drunk while in her care. Doris Ott called the young boy's mother when he fell out of his chair and would not wake up.
When the mother arrived, she found her son "pale and limp" and rushed him to the hospital. Doctors said that he had a blood-alcohol content of .203, which is nearly three times the legal limit for an adult.
Following the incident, authorities suspended Ott's license and launched an investigation. In May, she had her license permanently revoked and on December 29th she was arrested and charged with neglect of a minor and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors. Ott claims that she is innocent and said that the boy did not drink alcohol while under her care.
Police found a few cans of spiked seltzer in a refrigerator in an unfinished part of the basement, but Ott said the young boy had no way to get down there.
The boy's mother told authorities that in the days leading up the incident her son smelled like alcohol when she picked him up from Ott's home, but she assumed it was from hand sanitizer. Investigators are still looking into the incident and Ott's trial is expected to begin in February.
The young boy made a full recovery and is fine.
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