After an Appeals Court ruling in State v Stevens in September, 20 Washington County drug-endangered children cases face reversal. Tidings Insight The ruling means some child drug-exposure cases may not fit current mistreatment law, so county prosecutors and ODAA are pushing a 2026 fix to cover detectable controlled substances.

Following the Stevens ruling, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office filed motions to dismiss charges in 20 cases involving drug-endangered children.

In Stevens, the court heard that Brandon James Stevens inflicted injury on T, an 18-month-old child of the woman he was living with.

When T’s mother took T to the hospital, he was treated for severe internal injuries. A urinalysis revealed that T had methamphetamine in his system.

The presence of dru

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