City women face charges of child endangerment | News, Sports, Jobs

Two city women face charges after a toddler under their care ingested methamphetamine, according to court documents.

Cassidy Marie Rightenour, 22, and Carmen Marie Rightenour, 49, were arraigned Friday before Magisterial Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on a felony count each for endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bail was set at $15,000 unsecured for both.

Police and AMED re­sponded to a call at 11:16 p.m. July 5, 2021, to a report of a 15-month-old girl who had possibly ingested cleaning products.

Upon arriving at the 10th Avenue residence, police noticed that the child could not stay still. The child was flailing her arms and legs while buckled onto the ambulance gurney, signs that, when seen in an adult, point to being under the influence of methamphetamine, police said in a report.

The child’s mother, Cassidy, told police the baby had ingested chemicals that were used to clean the carpet. She claimed to have crushed a laundry scent booster on the carpet in order to clean it, and that the child was in the vicinity, court documents state.

Cassidy Rightenour told police that the child, whose bed time passed an hour earlier, was fidgety and wouldn’t calm down. Concerned about the child’s behavior, she called 911.

According to court documents, police asked Cassidy Rightenour if there were any illegal substances in the house, to which she said no.

Police then spoke with Cassidy’s mother, Carmen, who stated she was in the residence with Cassidy and the child and corroborated Cassidy’s story about the laundry scent booster, according to a report. She told police the child was in her walker, roaming around the living room, and that it was possible she could have ingested the cleaning chemical.

Carmen Rightenour also denied that illegal substances were in the house, police reported.

Carmen Rightenour, according to the complaint, met an officer outside and made sure to close the door behind her, which police believed indicated she did not want them entering the residence.

The child was transported to UPMC Altoona where police talked to the ER physician about the possibility of an overdose.

The physician told police he believed the child overdosed on meth and she had symptoms consistent with that, including dilated pupils and agitation and possible hallucinations.

Police also talked to the child’s father, who did not live at the residence and was not there at the time, court documents state.

Police also interviewed Carmen Rightenour’s boyfriend, Jonathan Learn, the owner of the residence, who had left the home before AMED arrived.

While the child was being flown to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, police received a search warrant for the residence where detectives found a number of items containing drug residue, along with drug paraphernalia, syringes and glass smoking pipes.

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh reported that illicit methamphetamine ingestion, particularly in young children, can be fatal and tests performed on the child at UPMC Altoona and in Pittsburgh were positive for methamphetamine.

Police reported that Learn and the Rightenours denied the drugs that the child ingested were theirs, but the three were the only ones in the house and who had access to the home.

Carmen Rightenour and Cassidy Rightenour are scheduled to appear before Judge DeAntonio for preliminary hearings April 20.

According to court documents, Learn faces similar charges though his case is currently inactive.

No additional information on the status of the baby was reported.