Porterville parents arrested for endangering four-month-old baby

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Porterville mother and father are in jail Wednesday, accused of endangering their child.

The allegations stem from an incident that took place in public Tuesday afternoon.

Porterville Police say they received multiple 911 calls about a man and woman arguing as they walked along Morton Avenue.

"This is not a call we get every day," said Porterville Police Lt. Brian Nix. "It was kind of unique."

The couple, according to witnesses, had a small child with them, and was being swung around and handled in a rough and dangerous way.

Police responded and arrested the couple at a home nearby.

They've been identified as 33-year-old James Whittenburg and 32-year-old Savanah Wolf.

"The investigation revealed that both these individuals were highly intoxicated under some type of controlled substance and the baby actually was wearing a diaper even though it was very cold yesterday," Nix said.

Police were concerned about the potential of hypothermia, so the four-month-old was brought to a local hospital.

The baby was kept overnight for observation, is expected to be OK, and is now in the custody of child welfare services.

The child's parents, known to Porterville Police, are facing charges of child endangerment and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

According to Tulare County Court records, both Wolf and Whittenburg have several drug-related misdemeanor convictions.