FAST FACTS:
(Memphis 1/23/2012) A Memphis mother is behind bars after authorities say both she and the baby she recently delivered tested positive for cocaine.
Ora Boler, 35, is charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, and was in the Shelby County Jail Monday night with no bond.
Boler's daughter, Marquett, was born November 14, 2011 at The MED, and both were tested for the drug. Reports show Marquett is the fourth of Boler's six children to test positive for cocaine at birth.
"These children are left to suffer. You see these beautiful children that don't have a prayer in many cases," said Barbara King, who heads The Exchange Club Family Center in Memphis.
The organization helps counsel parents, who sometimes have been tied to child abuse. King says the child abuse problem is ongoing, many times because the parents have lived troubled lives.
"A lot of these families, these parents really love these children, but they don't know how else to be. That's all they've known. That's what they've grown up with," King said.
Police reports say Boler is a known crack user without a permanent home.
News Channel 3 talked to people in her South Memphis neighborhood, one of whom described her as a "Bright spirit who lived a troubled life."
People close to Boler say her children are in the custody of family members. Barbara King just hopes they're really being looked after.
"We really don't know what's in the long term for these children. Maybe learning disabilities, all kinds of things. It's heartbreaking because it could have been prevented. These children didn't ask for this," she said.
The MED is required to report cases like Boler's to the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services.
News Channel 3 contacted the agency Monday, and is still waiting for information on the case, as well as details on how common these cases are.
- Ora Boler, 35, is charged with two counts of reckless endangerment
- Boler has given birth to six children, four of which had cocaine in their systems
- The most recent baby was born in November
(Memphis 1/23/2012) A Memphis mother is behind bars after authorities say both she and the baby she recently delivered tested positive for cocaine.
Ora Boler, 35, is charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, and was in the Shelby County Jail Monday night with no bond.
Boler's daughter, Marquett, was born November 14, 2011 at The MED, and both were tested for the drug. Reports show Marquett is the fourth of Boler's six children to test positive for cocaine at birth.
"These children are left to suffer. You see these beautiful children that don't have a prayer in many cases," said Barbara King, who heads The Exchange Club Family Center in Memphis.
The organization helps counsel parents, who sometimes have been tied to child abuse. King says the child abuse problem is ongoing, many times because the parents have lived troubled lives.
"A lot of these families, these parents really love these children, but they don't know how else to be. That's all they've known. That's what they've grown up with," King said.
Police reports say Boler is a known crack user without a permanent home.
News Channel 3 talked to people in her South Memphis neighborhood, one of whom described her as a "Bright spirit who lived a troubled life."
People close to Boler say her children are in the custody of family members. Barbara King just hopes they're really being looked after.
"We really don't know what's in the long term for these children. Maybe learning disabilities, all kinds of things. It's heartbreaking because it could have been prevented. These children didn't ask for this," she said.
The MED is required to report cases like Boler's to the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services.
News Channel 3 contacted the agency Monday, and is still waiting for information on the case, as well as details on how common these cases are.
