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A Florida woman whose stillborn fetus was found in the freezer won't be charged, despite traces of cocaine found in the fetus' blood.
Jessica Smallwood, 27, was under intense police scrutiny for six months following the discovery of a 6 1/2-pound, third-trimester female fetus wrapped in a garbage bag inside her freezer in Punta Gorda. But the investigation concluded Thursday after prosecutors deemed the fetus stillborn -- it never took a breath, according to the Herald Tribune.
Cocaine was found in the fetus' blood, but expectant mothers cannot be charged for passing drugs to their fetus.
"You wouldn’t want to hinder a woman from seeking prenatal care out of fear that she would be charged criminally," assistant state attorney Shannon Doolity told the paper.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...nt-be-charged-fetus-in-freezer_n_2109334.html
Jessica Smallwood, 27, was under intense police scrutiny for six months following the discovery of a 6 1/2-pound, third-trimester female fetus wrapped in a garbage bag inside her freezer in Punta Gorda. But the investigation concluded Thursday after prosecutors deemed the fetus stillborn -- it never took a breath, according to the Herald Tribune.
Cocaine was found in the fetus' blood, but expectant mothers cannot be charged for passing drugs to their fetus.
"You wouldn’t want to hinder a woman from seeking prenatal care out of fear that she would be charged criminally," assistant state attorney Shannon Doolity told the paper.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...nt-be-charged-fetus-in-freezer_n_2109334.html
