Parents arrested for giving drugs to newborn daughter
07/24/2017 9:53 am PDT
By Tamara Vaifanua and Ashton Edwards, KSTU
UTAH COUNTY, Utah -- (KSTU) -- Two Elk Ridge parents are in jail after allegedly giving their infant daughter opioids on the day she was born.
Authorities said a Walmart robbery is what led them to the parents and tipped them off about the drug crimes.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office said Spanish Fork Police were called to a robbery at a local Walmart back on June 26.
Walmart employees said the suspect, 29-year-old Colby Glen Wilde, went into the store with his 2-month-old daughter.
Witnesses told law enforcement they saw the suspect take items from a shelf and then return them to customer service as if he had purchased them.
He was given cash for the items and left the store when employees confronted him about the alleged theft.
Deputies said Wilde ran away with his daughter in the car seat. He slammed into the sliding doors, dropping the car seat and his daughter, which rolled several times.
According to police, Wilde grabbed the car seat and ran out another door, hitting a pillar and dropping his daughter again.
As witnesses tried to stop him, Wilde handed the car seat and his baby to a stranger, then ran to his car and sped away, according to deputies.
A deputy caught up to Wilde in a nearby parking lot and took him into custody for DUI, heroin, meth, drug paraphernalia and driving without insurance.
Spanish Fork Police later added felony child abuse and theft charges.
Wilde's girlfriend, 26-year-old Lacey Dawn Christenson, was in Walmart with Wilde.
Authorities said Christenson had her other three children with her, boys ages 8, 4, and 2.
She was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail on an outstanding warrant.
Spanish Fork Police took custody of the children and the infant girl was evaluated at the hospital.
Officials with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services contacted the oldest boy's father who took custody of that child.
FULL STORY: Utah County parents arrested for giving drugs to newborn daughter - KSTU