A Richford man is facing a child cruelty charge after police said his 2-year-old son put a bag that contained fentanyl in his mouth on Tuesday before suffering a medical event.
Michael Wilson, 30, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge in Franklin County Superior criminal court Wednesday afternoon. He was released on conditions including that he not be alone with children under age 16, unless the Vermont Department for Children and Families — which police notified following the incident — determines otherwise.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Luigi Crea, a deputy in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, police received a call around around 12:30 p.m. that a child was “in and out of consciousness resulting from possible opiate overdose” at 40 Troy St.
Officials said Wilson found his son unsupervised in the bathroom of the house — which belonged to another person — where the boy was chewing on a small bag containing fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Wilson told police he gave his son Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses, before submerging him in the bathtub and calling 911, according to the affidavit.
The child was transported to Northwest Medical Center in St. Albans “for continued care,” according to a press release from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. No further details on the child’s condition were available Wednesday afternoon.
In the affidavit, Crea wrote that Wilson, who also lives on Troy Street, said he stopped into 40 Troy St. with his son to use the phone. Wilson told a sheriff’s deputy that he “wasn’t aware there would be drugs in the residence,” according to the court document.
At the Wednesday court hearing, Wilson’s attorney argued that because Wilson said he did not know fentanyl was present, the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s office could not demonstrate that Wilson “willfully” exposed his son to the substance.
The attorney, Paul Groce, also questioned whether there was enough evidence in the police affidavit to show that the child had suffered bodily harm warranting a felony.
“This is an accident,” Groce said. “And it’s a tragic accident — but it’s not criminal.”
Bram Kranichfeld, the interim Franklin County State’s Attorney, pushed back on that argument, saying the state believes Wilson did know drugs were present, and that the 911 call reporting the child had lost consciousness implies there was bodily harm.
Police have since seized the house at 40 Troy St., the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said. The Department for Children and Families is also investigating the incident.
Wilson is due back in court Dec. 6.
