On March 3 at 9:42 p.m. ET, officers with the Plymouth Police Department were dispatched to 1311 W. Jefferson Street, Apartment #602, for a welfare check on a 19-month-old child.
When officers arrived on the scene, police say the mother, later identified as Gina Tipton, 41, of Plymouth, answered the door, appeared very intoxicated, and had a hard time standing. Officers told Tipton they were there to check on her son because she had called multiple hospitals asking how much medicine to give the child who was sick, according to the report. Tipton said she had taken her child to Urgent Care earlier in the day.
During further discussion with Tipton, she reportedly told officers that her son had stopped breathing in the morning hours, and another child informed officers that she didn’t think mom had taken her son to Urgent Care.
Officers gave Tipton a portable breath test (PBT), registering a .271 BAC, according to the report. While the officers were there, her intoxication level appeared to be going up. The officer also gave her a Sotoxa test, and police say it showed she had Cannabis in her system as well.
The Department of Child Services was contacted. Tipton was arrested for neglect of a dependent, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. She was transported to Plymouth Hospital for medical clearance and then to the jail, where she was booked.
Department of Child Services took custody of the children. The 19-month-old was transported to Plymouth Hospital by Plymouth Medics for further evaluation.
Suspects are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
