A 22-year-old woman has been charged after tests allegedly revealed that her newborn baby had been exposed to drugs while in utero.
Smithville Police arrested Samantha Shaye Goodson and charged her under viable fetus as victim laws on March 18. Police said Goodson gave birth to a child in November 2015, and a drug test of the umbilical cord came back positive for hydromorphone and marijuana. Goodson reportedly was not prescribed either drug.
According to 2014 amendments to Tennessee code, a woman may be prosecuted for the illegal use of a narcotic while pregnant, if her child is born addicted to or harmed by the narcotic drug and the addiction or harm is a result of her illegal use of a narcotic drug taken while pregnant. The law also allows the perpetrator to be charged with aggravated assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, if they have a pregnancy complication after using illegal drugs. Governor Bill Haslam signed the bill into law on April 29, 2014. The law expires on July 1, 2016.
Goodson’s bond was set at $1500, and she will appear in court on April 7.
Meanwhile, three family members were arrested for domestic assault on March 21.
Police responded to a residence on East Main Street where Stevie Randell Reeder 49, Tony Jeffery Reeder 50, and, Lisa Inez Vice, 51, had reportedly gotten into a verbal argument that turned physical. Upon arrival, police found that the siblings had been drinking before the tussle began. A primary aggressor couldn't be determined, so police took all three into custody and charged them with domestic assault.
Bond for each of the three was set at $1500, and they appeared in court on March 24.
James Matthew Martin, 32, was arrested for simple possession of Schedule IV and VI drugs and cited for drug paraphernalia on March 14.
Police reportedly noticed a man who appeared to be passed out at the wheel of his vehicle while parked in the area of Village Place Apartments. Upon speaking with the subject, identified as James Martin, it was found that he had two grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, eight yellow round pills believed to be Benzodiazepines for which he had no prescription, and two glass pipes with burnt marijuana residue in his possession.
His bond was set at $3000, and he will appear in court on April 21.
Justin Lynn Murphy, 30, was arrested for public intoxication on March 8.
Police said officers were called to a scene were Murphy was causing a disturbance. Officers allegedly made contact with him in the public area of White Street and observed that Murphy had slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about his person and breath. Due to his condition, Murphy was placed in custody for his and the public's safety.
His bond was set at $1500, and he will appear in court on April 7.
