Sheriff’s Office: Parents arrested after toddler overdoses

Published 2:42 pm Thursday, October 26, 2023

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Parents of a 22-month-old child are facing multiple charges after the child overdosed on on an opiate.

Stanly Communications dispatched a medical call indicating the child was in respiratory distress. Responding medical personnel treated the child, including administering Narcan, which is often used to treat heroin and fentanyl overdoses.

“Based on medical personnel on scene, the child was displaying symptoms of an opiate overdose,” Sgt. Karcin Vick-Dunn, a detective with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, said. “The child was transported to Atrium Health Cabarrus in stable condition. Investigators were able to identify a possible source of the overdose and the parents of the child were arrested.”

Vick-Dunn said fentanyl is the substance believed to have been used.

Shiann Hartsell

Shiann Denise Hartsell is charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, felony maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for the use of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Justin Allen Hopkins is charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, felony

Justin Hopkins

possession of schedule II controlled substance, felony maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for the use of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm by felon.