Mother arrested after her two year-old child was admitted to hospital with drug exposure
Mugshot of Scott courtesy of LCSO.
Levy County Sheriff's Office
Bronson, Florida - On Friday, March 21, 2025, 29 year-old Debra Joan Scott of Archer, Florida walked into an emergency room in Marion County, Florida with her two year old child. The mother explained to medical personnel that her child had not slept all night, and was 'acting crazy', 'bouncing off the walls', and erratically swinging her arms.
According to the Levy County Sheriff's Office, a medical examination determined that the child was exhibiting symptoms commonly seen in adults who are 'tweaking' - a physical and psychological state that can occur following a methamphetamine binge, with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, and other altered perceptions.
Lab reports confirmed that the child was suffering from acute intoxication, caused by exposure to methamphetamine or another stimulant. The child also tested positive for exposure to opiates. Medical staff members immediately contacted law enforcement personnel in Marion County, Florida to investigate the incident. Responding law enforcement officers determined that the child and her mother live in Levy County, Florida, and thus contacted the Levy County Sheriff's Office to continue the investigation.
Detectives with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office teamed with child protective investigators with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) to conduct an investigation. Detectives learned that Ms. Scott, the mother, had just recently moved to Bronson with her paramour and her child, into a home where other people also lived as roommates. According to a press release, the home was previously known to be connected to narcotics activity.
Ms. Scott admitted to detectives that she, herself, had recently used methamphetamine. She also said that she began seeing symptoms in her child, about 12 hours before she took the child to the hospital. Instead of calling 911, she contacted a friend who drove them to a hospital located well away from the location where Ms. Scott was living.
"She (Ms. Scott) knowingly put her child at risk, and failed to protect the child from dangerous drugs while using dangerous drugs herself," said LCSO Lieutenant Scott Tummond.
On Monday, March 24, 2025, a warrant was issued for Scott's arrest. The following day, she was located in Gilchrist County, Florida, where she was taken into custody and placed under arrest, with the assistance of the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office. Scott was booked into the Gilchrist County Jail in Trenton, Florida. On March 26, 2025, she was transferred to the Levy County Detention Bureau in Bronson, Florida, after her first appearance in court. She was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, with her bond set at $50,000.