Rock Hill mother charged after 2-year-old, infant test positive for meth, police say
A Rock Hill mom has been arrested after her 2-year-old son tested positive for meth, police said.
Jennifer Sheree Outen, 39, on Monday was charged with felony unlawful neglect or conduct toward a child, said Rock Hill Police Department Det. Robert Smith.
Outen also tested positive for meth use, Smith said.
Smith said he also received a positive test for an infant child of Outen who was born Dec. 21. More charges against Outen concerning the newborn are pending, Smith said. Outen is the mother of both children, Smith said.
Rock Hill police were notified by S.C. Department of Social Services about concerns for the 2-year-old child and the infant, Smith said. Police started an investigation on Jan. 1.
Both children were placed into the custody of another family member after the initial allegations surfaced.
“The children are the victims in these cases,” Smith said. ‘This is very serious. We are going to protect the child.”
Outen’s arrest is the 11th York County parent charged after a child tested positive for drugs since July, South Carolina court records show.
Some cases have been investigated as referrals from DSS, while others came from community tips or through police investigation of other incidents, according to police reports.
“Just being around illegal drugs puts the child in jeopardy,” Kevin Brackett, 16th Circuit solicitor told The Herald. “Our first priority is the safety of these children.”
Walter Beck, a York County Sheriff’s office detective who specializes in the drug cases, and Smith said a goal is to get the parent help.
Outen spent a year in prison after pleading guilty in 2013 to felony forgery, according to South Carolina court records. She was arrested by York County Sheriff’s Office deputies Jan. 19 for shoplifting, then released on bond. That charge remains pending.
