Three children inside a Schuylkill County home tested positive for fentanyl back in June, police say. One of them had to be rushed to an emergency room in Pottsville because he was struggling to breathe.
Tonight, a Mahanoy City woman is free on bail and facing multiple charges of child endangerment.
According to State Police-Frackville, Troopers were called to a Walnut St. home in Ashland back on June 22, at about 8 p.m., for a report of a 3-year-old boy struggling to breathe.
Emergency medical personnel were on scene and had begun life-saving measures on the child. The child was given 0.4mg of Narcan, police say, and his condition began to improve immediately.
The child was then rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pottsville and a toxicology test showed he was positive for the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Officials from Schuylkill County Children & Youth showed up at the hospital and took custody of the child along with two other children: a 6-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. Tests on those two other children were requested by Children & Youth officials and they allegedly returned positive results for fentanyl.
On Wednesday, criminal charges were filed against Nikki Rehrig, 30, of Mahanoy City.
Rehrig was arraigned before District Magistrate Edward Tarantelli Wednesday afternoon, charged with one second-degree felony count and two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.
Rehrig was freed on $50,000 unsecured bail. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled before Tarantelli on Sept. 4.
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...