PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A woman was arrested on Tuesday afternoon for aggravated child neglect after her 6-week-old suffered from medical neglect, says the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s office, on July 7, after a Department of Children and Families caseworker called rescue for the baby to be evaluated for weight loss and severe diaper rash, detectives responded.
Before Rescue was contacted, 26-year-old Jodie Danielle Cannon of Florahome was questioned if she wanted to take the child to the doctor, but she refused. After rescue personnel arrived, Cannon was asked not to ride with them due to concerns about neglect.
When the child was admitted to the hospital, detectives say it had a low heart rate, low body temperature, and low weight. Without intervention, the child could have died. The baby had lost a lot of weight, dropping below the fifth percentile.
Detectives say that Cannon told them that the infant was not eating and had told her to change formulas. She also claimed that the doctor had closed offices, and despite the child’s weight loss, the baby had not been back to the doctor.
A warrant was issued for Cannon’s arrest for aggravated child neglect with great bodily harm and child neglect. She was taken to the Putnam County Jail and held on $35,000 bail.
The sheriff’s office says the infant was released from the hospital into DCF care and is expected to recover.
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