Mother admits to drugging son to get him to sleep, police say

A Cranberry Township woman is facing charges after she allegedly drugged her 10-year-old son to calm him down.

Channel 11 is not naming the 27-year-old suspect to protect the identity of the child.

According to a criminal complaint, the boy’s teachers noticed something was wrong. Staff told police he arrived to school late and seemed “completely zoned out.”

The boy told police, “My mom gave me a white pill at nighttime to sleep,” according to police paperwork.

“You should never give anyone drugs that are prescribed to you, especially a narcotic to a child,” said Chuck Mascellino, of Cranberry Township police.

The boy’s mother admitted she gave the child trazodone, saying it was a method of calming the boy down after he was fighting with his siblings.

Trazadone is used as an antidepressant and is not available without a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration does not allow it for pediatric use.

The alleged incident happened in December. The suspect is awaiting her next hearing on felony charges of child endangerment and delivering a controlled substance.

Police said her 10-year-old son and her other children have been placed in the care of someone else.

Cox Media Group