Police say three children were exposed to drugs, needles
A Westover man is accused of exposing three children to dangerous conditions, including drugs and razor blades.
Thomas John Winston, 30, is charged with three counts of gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death by the Westover Police Department.
The investigation into Winston included statements by multiple Westover police officers, the findings of a Child Protective Services investigation, and statements by Winston and Brooke Lanham, the children’s mother, according to a criminal complaint.
Lanham and the three children, ages 3, 5 and 7, stayed at Winston’s apartment from Aug.7-11, during which time they were exposed to “narcotics, narcotic paraphernalia, hypodermic needles, which were uncapped, razor blades, and pornographic material,” the complaint said.
On at least one occasion while staying with Winston, the children were cared for only by Winston and Lanham while they were both under the influence of methamphetamine, the complaint said.
Lanham said she left the kids alone with Winston at least once which makes him an “accepting and knowing guardian” of Lanham’s children, according to the complaint.
Winston is being held in North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.
Tweet @WillDean_DP
