A six-year-old boy with autism jumped out of a second-story apartment window and later tested positive for cocaine, according to police in West Virginia. His mother, Stevie Thibodeaux, 30, has been charged with child neglect creating risk of serious injury or death, a felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted.
Jump from window prompts emergency response
Police were called to the Unity Terrace apartment complex in Fairmont on Monday after witnesses saw the boy jump from the window. When officers arrived, they noted the screen was missing from the window panel. Thibodeaux told police she was asleep when her son jumped and explained that the boy has autism. She showed officers childproof locks on doors that typically prevent him from leaving.
Cocaine found in apartment
The child was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital for evaluation, where he tested positive for cocaine the following day, court documents show. Police returned to the apartment with a warrant and found a food stamp card, a white powder substance, and a “tooter” – a slang term for a straw used to snort drugs.
Thibodeaux was not inside when the search began but returned partway through and was arrested on the spot. Investigators said she admitted to using the cocaine and leaving the plate in her closet, where her son presumably accessed it.
Jail and legal proceedings
Thibodeaux is held in the North Central Regional Jail on a $5,000 bond, according to jail records. She has not yet entered a plea. Under West Virginia law, gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
