Addicted Mother Gives Birth In Motel And Chews Through Umbilical Cord

Via Ocala

A premature baby born Friday night in a motel bathtub after his mother said she went on a crack cocaine binge remains in critical condition on a ventilator at UF Heatlh Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

The Florida Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the baby and his 11-month-old brother, DCF spokeswoman Kristi Gray said. The baby’s brother has been placed in foster care.

Their 37-year-old mother, Chrystal A. Hassell, is on suicide watch at the Marion County Jail, meaning she is under constant supervision. She faces a charge of child neglect. She will be evaluated by medical professionals and will get whatever assistance she needs, Gray said, and the agency will work with her.

On Saturday, hours after her arrest, Hassell said she has been using drugs since she was a teenager, including while pregnant. She said she has a 16-year-old daughter who was born addicted to drugs. She said she did not know she was pregnant with her third child until early March when she felt movement in her stomach. She went to Munroe Regional Medical Center for a checkup and was told she was approximately six to seven months pregnant.

Hassell said she decided not to smoke crack but the cravings were too great. The day before her baby was born, she went on a binge. She said she had the child in a bathtub at Vacation Host Inn on South Pine Avenue and cut the umbilical cord with her teeth. She said the baby began turning blue so she called 911.

Sadly, this child was born into a REALLY f***ed up family

Vincent Terry, 43, the father of the baby and his brother, is at the Marion County Jail on a warrant out of El Pasco County, Colo., for domestic violence, attempted murder and a violation of probation on possession of a Schedule II controlled substance.

Terry said Tuesday during an interview at the jail that he did not know his girlfriend was abusing drugs for 24 hours before their baby was born. He said she told him she was tired and wanted to lie down.

“I knew she had a history of doing drugs, but not that she was doing drugs. She just found out she was pregnant,” he said.

Terry said he and Hassell attended a court hearing Tuesday to determine the status of their two children. He said his family provided the names of immediate family members whom the children can stay with and that DCF officials plan to do background checks to see if they qualify to take care of them.

These two got a lot of nerve to think that they deserve visitation rights to these kids. A pack of wild dogs could probably raise them better than Chrystal and Vincent!