1-year-old's self-biting led to positive test for methamphetamine, records allege
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A father, who left his 1-year-old son in the care of the boy's mother, is accused of refusing to get the child hospital care for what turned out to be ingestion of methamphetamine.
On Thursday, Eyewitness News obtained 39-year-old Clayton Alex Curry's court paperwork for an incident that reportedly unfolded in May 2022 at a Harris County-area motel.
According to his charging document, a Harris County Sheriff's Office Crimes Against Children investigator learned of a patrol deputy's welfare check on the 1-year-old, who was seen being held by his father in the motel's parking lot on the night of May 23, last year.
Curry told the responding deputy that he had just come back to get milk from the store and left the boy behind in the care of his mother, Catilin. Documents state that the dad saw the boy alone while his mother and another woman were in a closed bathroom.
Records allege the boy was seen acting strange, biting himself, and excessively crying for more than an hour. The deputy's body camera also captured the child vomiting an excessive amount of milk.
According to the charging document, Curry refused to bring the child to the hospital when the deputy asked him about calling an ambulance. Investigators noted the father was more persistent about his refusal as the deputy continued, though he allowed EMTs to come and look at the child.
Nevertheless, records show that the boy was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital, where his bloodwork tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Photos of the child's arm were also taken, showing teeth marks and purple discoloration.
Even at the hospital, investigators said the child continued to vomit and bite himself. The documentation doesn't indicate whether the boy fully recovered from the ordeal.
Deputies allege, citing a doctor, that the father believed the child "got into some drugs," with Curry admitting that he uses marijuana and his wife uses meth and heroin.
The family's Child Protective Services record is also mentioned in the court paperwork, confirming the mother tested positive for heroin and meth that night. At the same time, the boy was also temporarily placed in CPS custody.
The documentation surfaced two days after a felony charge of injury to a child by omission was filed against Curry. Records show he appeared in probable cause court on Thursday morning.
ABC13 is asking questions about the mother's alleged role and why she wasn't immediately charged with anything.
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