Police: New Kensington woman arrested after 1-year-old tests positive for drugs
A New Kensington woman was arrested after traces of cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs were found in her 1-year-old daughter’s urine, according to investigators.
Caroline Willa Cramer, 33, of Fifth Avenue was charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children.
She is being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond and faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on Thursday.
Police began investigating Jan. 12 after receiving a report from a Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau caseworker that Cramer’s 1- and 2-year-old children were being examined at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, according to a criminal complaint.
Investigators said medical staff reported that the 2-year-old had bruises on his body and the 1-year-old had cocaine in her system, according to Cramer’s arrest papers.
A New Kensington police detective who questioned Cramer at the hospital said she “appeared to keep nodding off and falling asleep” during the interview, the complaint said.
Cramer admitted to police that she uses cocaine but told the officer it had been nearly a week since the last time she took the drug, the complaint said.
She told police that when she does use cocaine, she stays in her room away from the children, according to the complaint. Police said Cramer was tested Jan. 13 and the results were negative for cocaine.
Investigators got a search warrant Jan. 24 to view the medical records of Cramer’s children, police said.
The toxicology report from a urinalysis done on the 1-year-old girl found cocaine, cocaine metabolites and THC metabolites in her system, the complaint said.
Metabolites are formed when substances begin to break down in the body.
Investigators said the toxicology report also indicated the presence of the prescription drug theophylline, which is used to treat asthma; the anti-seizure and pain medication gabapentin; and levorphanol, a narcotic prescribed for pain.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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