Oakland mom, boyfriend arrested after 5-year-old overdoses on fentanyl, cocaine
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OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland mother and her boyfriend are facing child abuse charges after the woman's 5-year-old son passed out after dinner and was later found to have fentanyl and cocaine in his system, authorities said.
The boy ate dinner on the evening of June 21 with his mother, 35-year-old Sarah Rothenberg; her boyfriend, 28-year-old Mario Houston Rojas; and the child's grandfather at a home on Thornhill Drive, according to an Alameda County probable cause arrest document.
The grandfather is the child's legal guardian.
After dinner, the boy became unresponsive, authorities said.
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Firefighters, paramedics and Oakland police responded to the home around 8:46 p.m. after receiving a report of a child who was unconscious and having difficulty breathing.
The boy was taken to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, where toxicology tests confirmed he had fentanyl and cocaine in his system, according to authorities. Investigators said the child required Narcan before his body responded to medical treatment.
He remains in critical but stable condition.
Mother and boyfriend arrested
What we know:
Rothenberg told officers she put the boy to bed around 8 p.m. About 15 minutes later, she said, Rojas told the child's grandfather that the boy appeared to be sick.
Rojas told investigators he saw the boy vomiting and not breathing, according to the arrest document.
Rothenberg and Rojas were arrested the following day on suspicion of child abuse.
Investigators find suspected drug paraphernalia
Investigators believe the child had access to drugs and drug paraphernalia inside the home, though authorities have not said how he came into contact with the substances.
During a search of the residence, investigators found tin foil, a broken pen containing a white residue, a plastic pipe inside a trash can and pills inside a bathroom drawer, according to the arrest document.
The Source: This story was written based on court documents.