LEWISTON, Maine — Police say a local man was arrested after his 3-year-old son overdosed on the man’s prescription painkiller.
Michael Roy, 28, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and violating conditions of release. He was being held Saturday at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.
Police began investigating Friday after the child was taken to Central Maine Medical Center. At the time, police said it appeared the boy had found a pill inside the Elm Street apartment where he lives with his father. Once it became clear that the boy had overdosed, the father sought out his mother — the child’s grandmother — and then they went to the hospital, police said.
Although the child initially appeared to be doing well after treatment Friday night, he was later taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland and was listed in serious condition Saturday night, police said.
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WAY TO GO!!! Dad of the year award??? Some people just never learn how much their lifestyle can harm their children’s lives!!!
I hope the little guy is going to be ok. Accidents happen, he may have dropped it and couldn’t find it….not really an excuse, but it could happen.
Conditions of release? How about a little more info?
He shouldn’t be arrested for a dropped pill. Especially if it was his own prescription so wrong. None of us are perfect. I applaud him for seeking out medical attention. People read this and get scared and won’t seek medical attention, next time. Shame on society for this arrest. I don’t want to see people delaying and not seeking medical attention immediately for fear of the law.
That said; this may be a case of addiction and DHHS may need jet another arrest to place the baby in safer hands. I don’t know the case or situation. I hate seeing press print these types of stories without enough information. Since, it seems so harmless to take a child to emergency room for a dropped pill. Any parent would and wouldn’t expect to be arrested and booked.
Do you really think that just ONE pill is going to cause this baby to be in serious condition? I have a feeling that more that ONE pill was ingested by this baby…yes one pill can do some damage but seriously I have a feeling that more than one pill is going to place this child where it is now. I am not saying that this is the case but either way the pills should be nowhere around the child EVER…no matter it was a dropped pill by mistake or not…he should be a hell of a lot more careful when taking the pills if he did drop it!!!!!
Article stated A pill. It didn’t state found pills.
Yes 1 pill can kill a toddler depending on the pill and the strength. A friend of mine actually had her child killed by a realative who drugged the baby to get him to go to sleep, and from what the autopsy found in that case it was only 1/2 a pill. Prescription medication can be very dangerous and alot of people don’t realize that. I don’t know everything in this case and I do hope it was an acciedent and the child gets better real soon.
I know someone who lost her granddaughter and it was a 5mg oxy contin that killed her so yes absolutely one pill can do a small child in. Oh to be perfect and never make a mistake, what a joy that would be. Instead of speculating and throwing stones maybe we could all say a prayer for this baby after all the child is the most important thing right now.
Could you tell the rest of us imperfect souls the glory you must feel from being the only perfect human on the face of the planet?? For one…you are not a doctor …you know not what you speak of. Todays pharmaceuticals are incredibly powerful and can be toxic to a small child if taken in adult size doses. I cant help but find it ironic that if the child were to have ingested a marijuana bud,the worst that would have happened would have been a nap. But he ingested a “legal” drug,and he’s now in the position of clinging to life. I love how logical the pin heads who make up our laws always show them selves to be.
Childrens bodies are smaller (obviously) and they metabolize medicine differently so yes, one prescription pill (depending on the medication and the dose) can kill a child. Many pain medications, in particular the opioids, depress the central nervous system and can be very dangerous for a child.
1 dropped adult sized dose of many drugs could kill a toddler. And he wouldn’t be charged with breaking conditions IF the drug was a prescribed drug. Use your head before your fingers and the keyboard!
Probably the violation of conditions of release charges is because of the endangering the welfare of a child charge, usually breaking any law if you have conditions of release will inturn give you a charge of violating conditions of release.
I hope this child makes a full recovery, get well soon!!
There is nothing in the article that says that they drug wasn’t a prescribed one so stop assuming that it wasn’t.
“overdosed on the man’s prescription painkiller.” Try reading the article, especially the first line, and try to, “Use your head before your fingers and the keyboard!”
I for one would care about my childs life more than I would fear going to jail. A story like this would not stop me from seeking help for my child if such a crazy accident were to happen to me.
I just hope it really was some freak accident and that the child will be okay.
It wouldn’t stop us, but we aren’t talking about law abiding people. We are talking about people who already have records. Just saying. I work with people who have records and they don’t think like us. Yes, they have children, it takes alot for DHHS to take them, because in reality they just don’t have homes for them. Yes, they take them when they have to, but Home Counselors and services is their usual option.
and you know this man is not law abiding i didnt see anything about that when i was reading about it and from what i have see DHHS takes more kids out of homes then not. there are moms and dad out there doing more drugs then taking care of the kids… you dont see DHHS taking there kids.. so it looks to me like this dad did the right in..
There must be more to this story as one dropped pill shouldn’t result in child endangerment charges. The report doesn’t say anything about the FATHER’s condition–perhaps he was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs himself when the child got ahold of the pills. The report does make it sound like more than one pill is involved. If the father knew the child took more than one pill and didn’t do anything about it promptly, I wonder if that would be child endangerment also. Not much to go on with this story in the BDN as reported.
The article lacks information whether it was his pill he legally. If he dropped the pill and could not find it then I think that state will have a hard time proving beyond a reasonable doubt. He called for help when he noticed something wrong. And for the way he looks? Come on seriously. He looks like he had been crying his eyes out because of what happened. I know if itwas my grandkid or when my child was young and this happened to me…I would have been red eyed and crying. Accidents happen
Whether it was his pill legally. Do you people actually READ these articles before you comment on them? In the first line it even states the child “overdosed on the man’s prescription painkiller.” PRESCRIPTION painkiller, Sounds legal to me.
YEA it did.
Looks like the cops tuned him up a little on the way to jail.
Most anybody can have a kid. Being a real parent is the hard part.
How can anyone judge by a picture? Its crazy how many people just sit at home all day long and read and comment on BDN’s articles with zero knowledge of the situation. I also would think a pillhead would keep a better eye on his pills and not just leave them layin around! Not saying this guy isnt wrong, just saying…
Most people have a mugshot taken with both sides of their head banged up and a big red mark down their neck….guess I am wrong
That makes a pillhead??
it could have been an old picture (perhaps a mug shot from whatever his priors were)
Maybe he has an abusive girlfriend? Maybe a car accident? Who knows
WHAT???? Don’t spread rumors.
How do I join the Pillhead identifiers association?
an elite club it is too…
Have you never dropped a tylenol or any other med and not been able to find it? Children find everything we can’t with their curious little eyes. Looks like a pill head? Really, you can tell that? I’ve learned that there’s no “identifiers” to addiction. Your doc could be one and you not know it. The guy looks like he had the shi* slapped out of him by the mom/grandmother and also looks to have been crying. My son got hold of a can of glass cleaner once, found him with a mouth full of foam for he thought it was whipped cream. I was mortified that I had “forgotten” to lock it back in the cabinet, called posion control, his doc and stayed awake all night watching him breathe. Accidents happen. Don’t judge.
I bet Maine care bought the pills to boot
I am thinking he looks that way because when the mother found out, she did that to him. He does look like he’s been crying and obviously upset
I sincerely doubt that “one pill” could lead to such a serious condition.
Then you obviously have no knowledge of pharmacology and shouldn’t be making that judgement because it is absolutely possible.
What you say is possible. Probable, NO.The doses of narcotic that are in one pill, would be more than therapeutic, , but most likely ( based on patient weight), not strong enough to merit this child being so overdosed that he needs to be transfered to another hospital in serious condition. If I knew the child’s weight & the dosage & type of narcotic, I could answer this with more surety. But I stand by my remark that this child probably got hold of more than one pill to be so seriously ODd. Perhaps you, too, should not be making judgements about me & my knowledge, or lack of, pharmacology. So i would appreciate it if you want me not to make judgements ( & that is what these postings are for) that you also refrein from judging me. Allow me to express my opinion in peace.
Therapeutic for an adult. If you are able to do dosage calculations then you should be aware that children receive minuscule doses compared to adults, that one does not even round up the calculated dose for a small child, that children are not “little” adults in terms of how their bodies metabolize drugs. Not to mention that a 3 year old child will most likely chew up a pill rather than swallow it whole; which increases absorption. You would know that many prescription pain meds, specifically the opioids, cause respiratory depression and hypotension.
Violating conditions of release may have to do with illegal drugs, and it may not. Hard to tell from the information in this article what exactly happened. There’s a lot of room for conjecture on this one. Prayers that the little guy turns out O.K.
to me, he looks like he’s been crying
there is a serious lack of adoptive and foster parents in the system.
no sarcasm. i agree with you, but where do you put the children if there are no good homes with open doors and arms?
if anyone is moved to help, here is a link for more information
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/fosterparenting.shtml
This is undoubtedly a scary situation but that does not give you the right to judge someone like you have based on a photograph. People who are so quick to judge based on so little information are what make this such a crazyworld.
The child overdosed on prescription painkiller. My nephew got a blood pressure pill one time that belonged to his great grandfather. Although this guy doesnt look like an upstanding citizen, and I am sure some doctor should have his license pulled for furthering our drug problem by giving this guy painkillers, I dont think it is his fault. It was an accident.
Alright, just because a man doesn’t look up to your standards doesn’t mean that he is a pill head or a “LOSER” Get over yourself. He could have accidentally dropped the pill and then might not have been able to find it, you don’t know what happened.
You can’t honestly judge the man for the way he looks. It’s ignorant. With calling the mother and grandmother.. It makes sense to me. If my child overdosed I wouldn’t know what the hell is happening. I’d be freaking out, not knowing what to do, calling my husband on what to do, asking my parents questions. It’s not like the child is just going to drop to the floor and start shaking or something and give you the direct sign that they need to be taken to a hospital. There are perfectly logical explanations that don’t just throw him under the bus. This article really doesn’t have enough information for anyone to even make a judgmental statement in the first place. Instead of bashing the father, why don’t you go pray for the child.