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Arizona TV Reporters Indicted For Child Abuse After Cocaine Was Found In Their 4-Month-Old Baby’s System

By Angelica N. Sumter
Published on: 13:17 PST, Jun 29, 2016

Two married Arizona TV reporters, Krystin Rae Lisaius, 26, and Somchai P. Lisaius, 42, were indicted for child abuse after cocaine was found in their 4-month-old baby’s system, reported the NY Daily News.

On the morning of Sunday, May 15, Krystin and Somchai reportedly took their 4-month-old baby to Oro Valley Hospital after noticing their child was “lethargic and not eating normally.” The mother added that her baby was like “rag doll” because the child was very limp and the baby’s eyes kept rolling back.

Hospital staff immediately suggested a blood sample as the “episode was atypical and possibly life threatening,” but the Arizona couple were uncooperative, refusing to allow the hospital to withdraw blood; therefore, they took their baby to another hospital – Banner University Medical Center.

Although the married TV reporters informed the hospital that they did not want any blood samples to be taken from their baby, the Banner University Medical Center did, however, obtain a sample of the child’s urine, which indicated that there was presence of cocaine in the baby’s system.

Oro Valley police officials were immediately notified and the couple was questioned about the cocaine that was found in the child’s system.

The mother of the child reportedly admitted to snorting cocaine at a party that was hosted at her and husband’s home on Saturday, May 14 just hours before she breastfed her son.

However, according to the Fox 31 Denver, Krystin told police officials that she was unaware that she could harm the baby because she waited to breastfeed her child for 12 hours after she ingested cocaine.

Krystin believed that if she waited to breastfeed her 4-month-old baby, the cocaine in her system would not transfer to the baby, but unfortunately, it did, and the child became very ill after being breastfed.

Police officials also spoke with the couples’ friend Thomas, who stated that everyone at the party snorted cocaine on the counter of the bathroom. Reports also indicated that Krystin’s husband admitted to snorting cocaine during the party and stated that he uses the drug “every six weeks or so.”

Somchai also told police officials that he has witnessed his wife ingesting cocaine just shortly after giving birth to their 4-month-old baby.

The married Arizona TV reporters were arrested June 9 and charged with “three felony charges: possession of a dangerous drug, drug paraphernalia and child abuse.” During their first court appearance Monday, they both entered a not guilty plea.

The couple’s attorney Michael Piccarreta stated that “it would be a gross, gross injustice with even the mention of prison time. I anticipate they will demonstrate that they have learned a very hard, embarrassing lesson and that this will become a footnote in their life, not a chapter.”

“Hypothetically,” Piccarreta stated. “If the child ingested cocaine through breast milk, then you got to realize that there’s a different understanding as to when a recreational drug will be out of your system.”

“And if there’s a misjudgment as to how fast it’s out of your system, then it’s an error that has been learned. It won’t be repeated.”

After Banner University Medical Center discovered the presence of cocaine in the system of a 4-month-old baby, the child has since been placed in the care of the maternal grandmother and the Department of Children and Families is closely monitoring the child’s recovery.

However, the mother of the child was “granted 24-7 contact with the child while Somchai Lisaius is allowed to see the child 12 hours per day.”

Following the incident, sources say that Somchai was fired from his position as a crime reporter at Tulsa News Now, where he met his wife while she was an intern.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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