By Tina Sfondeles
The Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — A 37-year-old grandmother with a history of drug arrests has been charged with child endangerment after her 1-year-old grandson ingested traces of PCP and cocaine left behind on aluminum foil wrappers in their West Side home.
Yolanda Beck, of the 3600 block of West Fifth Avenue, is facing one misdemeanor count of endangering the life and health of a child, police said.
The toddler was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital early Sunday when family members noticed he was lethargic. There, doctors determined the boy had PCP and cocaine in his system, police said.
Police said Beck admitted to smoking the drugs on the day of the incident and left the wrappers behind where they were easily accessible to the child.
The boy, who was released from the hospital on Tuesday, was taken into the care of a relative, according to Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The agency is investigating allegations of neglect against both the boy’s mother and his grandmother, said Marlowe. There are no other children in the home, and the agency had no prior contact with the family, he said.
Beck was arrested at least four times for drug possession — most recently in February and dating back to 2003 — but was never convicted on those charges, police said.
She pleaded guilty to two separate misdemeanor counts of prostitution in July 2008 and was sentenced to three months court supervision, according to court records.
Beck was ordered held in lieu of $7,500 bail on the child endangerment charge on Tuesday.
She is expected back in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 10.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.