Porterville father arrested after toddler exposed to fentanyl, deputies say

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Porterville father was arrested after his son was hospitalized for fentanyl exposure.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office says 25-year-old Gary Stewart called 911 Monday afternoon, reporting his two-year-old child was unconscious, deprived of so much oxygen he was turning blue.

"The parents had indicated that they believed the child had possibly choked on chips or fell asleep with chips in their mouth," said Tulare County Sheriff's Lt. Bryan Clower.

Paramedics immediately began CPR, and the toddler was flown to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera.

"We received a call from Valley Children's advising that the child had tested positive for fentanyl," Clower explained.

Deputies executed a search warrant at the home where the incident happened and found evidence of narcotic use.

Stewart then told the detective at the hospital that he was smoking fentanyl in the presence of his son.

He's been booked into the Tulare County Jail and is facing child endangerment and drug charges.

"Doing drugs with your kids present is not something anyone should be doing. They need to have a little more respect for those kids and put their safety first," Clower said.

This is a Child Welfare Services case, so they will determine where the child will go once released from the hospital.

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