Sheriff: Parents Arrested After 3-Year-Old Child Drinks Meth Water In Butte County

OROVILLE (CBS13) – A child abuse investigation is underway in Butte County after a 3-year-old child ingested methamphetamine water, authorities said.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office said the child's parents, Joseph Webb, 42, and Alisha Crandell, 38, both of Bangor, were booked into the county jail on $500,000 bail and three counts of child endangerment.

The sheriff's office said deputies were dispatched to the Oroville-Bangor Highway and Swedes Flat Road intersection after Webb called for medical aid following the ingestion. The child was confirmed through medical testing to have ingested meth water and is in recovery at the hospital.

Investigators said they learned Webb, Crandell and their children were living in a travel trailer on 300 block of North Stoney Oaks Loop in Bangor. Detectives described the property as deplorable and said the parents both admitted the child ingested meth water they had removed from a water bong that they use to smoke methamphetamine.

Further investigation revealed that Webb did not immediately call for medical assistance after the ingestion. The sheriff's office said the parents attempted to make the child vomit until the child eventually had a seizure.

Detectives said the parents still did not contact authorities at this time, as Webb instead attempted to place the child in a pond located on the property to cool them down. Webb contacted medical aid after removing the child from the pond.

The sheriff's office said three children were taken into custody by detectives. Anita Morgan, 49, of Bangor, was one of the individuals contacted by law enforcement when they responded to the residence.

Morgan was located in a stolen vehicle and placed under arrest for felony vehicle theft, deputies said.

Webb and Crandell's arraignment is set for April 20 in the Butte County Superior Court.