Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - senseless

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

A really sad story in the St. Pete Times website that shows how a few minutes of not paying attention can add up to a lifetime of pain, regret and punishment...

CLEARWATER — Nobody knows for sure how long the woman left her 10-month-old grandson unattended in the bathtub.

She told police it could've been anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. She put him in the bathtub for "some alone time" and forgot about him after snorting Alprazolam and possibly oxycdone, she later told a Clearwater police detective.

By the time she pulled the baby from the water Sept. 4, he was not breathing. An autopsy said that he drowned.

Now the woman, 42, of St. Petersburg, Florida has been charged with aggravated manslaughter. Police say she was high on prescription medication when the baby drowned.

According to a court document released Monday, the woman was watching the child for her daughter that afternoon in a Clearwater apartment.

About 4:30 p.m., the woman's boyfriend came to the apartment on N Saturn Avenue. He told police that Wooten answered the door, then promptly disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged holding the limp body.

Police did not identify the boyfriend. The man said he called 911 and started CPR. The baby was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the woman appeared intoxicated when detectives interviewed her right after the incident. Her urine tested positive for benzodiazepines, oxycodone and THC. A blood test confirmed the presence of Alprazolam.

After the results came in, detectives obtained an arrest warrant Nov. 22. Early Thursday, St. Petersburg, Florida police came into contact with her regarding an unrelated matter and arrested her for the warrant, Clearwater police said. On Monday, she was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

The lady was found guilty in July of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and has previous convictions for obtaining property with a worthless check, grand theft and possession of cocaine, according to Pinellas County court records.

On her Facebook page bio, the boy's mother, says she just lost her baby and all she has left is her 2-year-old daughter. She posted this Sept. 28 as is: "That was my heart soul and mind. Twan iam so sorry for what grandma did to you.i will always love you."

Two weeks earlier, the suspect posted this on her own Facebook page as is: "To all who feel im guilty. I sware it was an accident i would never do anything to hurt my grandbabies they are my life they are who i live for."

Interestingly, the police did not charge her with a possession of controlled substance as a result of her urine test. That is because the law is clear...you need to be in ACTUAL possession of the drug (such as cocaine or (marijuana) to be charged...it is not enough to have used the drug at some point.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or violent crime? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.