Father of toddler who suffered fentanyl overdose pleads no contest
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The father of a toddler who suffered a fentanyl overdose in 2022 has pleaded no contest to a felony and two misdemeanors, according to court records.
John Lawson pleaded no contest on Monday to a felony count of child cruelty and misdemeanor counts of possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Prosecutors say he faces a court-indicated sentence of one year in custody and four years’ probation.
An investigation began on Jan. 15, 2022, after the boy was rushed to a hospital. He survived.
Lawson admitted he and Gabriella Goldberg, the boy’s mother, smoked fentanyl before the child was dropped off at their apartment on Kroll Way near Gosford Road, according to a court filing. He said they were lying down when the child left the bed.
They later found him motionless on the floor.
“It was later discovered (the toddler) was possibly exposed to fentanyl from a straw (drug paraphernalia) found a few inches from where he was found,” an investigator wrote in the filing.
Goldberg was also charged and court records indicate her case has not been resolved.
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