Nebraska newborn tests positive for meth and cocaine, affidavit says; mother charged

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Kearney woman is behind bars after her newborn tested positive for several drugs, court documents allege.

On Dec. 26, an officer with the Kearney Police Department responded to an apartment on a report of a newborn struggling to breathe.

The officer learned that 36-year-old Jessica Hernandez had given birth to a girl at the home, according to an arrest affidavit.

Hernandez refused treatment and would not give a blood or urine sample at a hospital in Kearney, the affidavit says.

Staff collected a part of the child’s umbilical cord for testing before she was taken to another hospital.

The other hospital collected a sample of the child’s urine for testing.

The tests came back positive for amphetamines, cocaine and meth, according to the affidavit.

Hernandez was charged Friday with felony child abuse.  Her bond was set at $25,000.

The child has since been removed from Hernandez’s custody, the affidavit says.