TODDLER IN HOSPITAL AFTER EATING COCAINE

A 19-month-old boy was hospitalized Thursday after eating crack cocaine
from a plastic sandwich bag that he and two other children had fished out
of a sleeping adult's underwear, police said.

A 20-year-old man was sleeping on a couch in the living room of a home on
W. Auer Ave. about 11 a.m. Wednesday, said Lt. Earnell Lucas. The toddler,
a 3-year-old and 4-year-old were playing nearby.

When the man awoke, Lucas said, he told the 19-month-old's grandmother that
the children "got into his underwear" and that the young boy had taken a
bite of the crack cocaine he was keeping there.

Lucas said police are not sure how much the child swallowed.

After the 20-year-old man fled the scene carrying the remainder of the
cocaine, the 19-month-old became very ill and the grandmother took the boy
to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was stabilized and then sent to
Children's Hospital. He initially was listed in critical condition, but
hospital personnel listed his condition late Thursday as stable.

Police said the home in the 2500 block of W. Auer Ave. belongs to the
19-month-old's mother, who is 21. Detectives said the mother was not at
home at the time of the incident and they are unsure who was supposed to be
watching the three children.

Detectives said the man, who previously has been charged with marijuana
possession, loitering and battery, is not the child's father. Police
described him as "a friend of the family's."

Lucas said police have issued an arrest warrant for the man, who could face
charges of reckless endangerment of a child.

No arrests were made in the case, which is still under investigation.