Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the Sheriff’s Office has arrested 32-year-old William R. Kennerly of rural Mountain Home on felony charges following an investigation into an infant having been hospitalized after being exposed to methamphetamine. A bench warrant was obtained for the arrest of Kennerly and he surrendered himself to the Detention Center Friday evening. He posted a $100,000 bond and was released from custody.
According to Montgomery, on or about November 26, 2017, a 10-month-old female was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center after it was observed she was acting in an unusual manner. Tests were conducted, and it was determined the child had been exposed to methamphetamine. The child was air lifted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for emergency treatment. Additional testing confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and amphetamine in the childs body.
Agents with the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services, interviewed and drug tested the parents of the child and also interviewed other persons residing in the residence. During the interviews, it was determined Kennerly had been snorting methamphetamine in a bathroom in the residence. He allegedly inadvertently dropped some of the methamphetamine on the floor. It is believed the child found the methamphetamine and ingested it while crawling around on the floor.
Kennerly was later interviewed by Sheriffs Investigators. He admitted he had been crushing and snorting methamphetamine in the bathroom prior to the child becoming ill. He also stated he was the only person in the household who was using methamphetamine.
Kennerly faces felony charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and administering a controlled substance to another.
He is scheduled appear in Baxter County Circuit Court.
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