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Baby Hospitalized After His Mom Gave Him Bourbon To Soothe His Gums

by Sean Levinson
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An Arkansas woman allegedly gave her baby hard liquor to get him to stop crying.

According to The Smoking Gun, 28-year-old Lori Sheppard of Mount Holly called her mother for advice on how to ease the teething pains of her 10-month-old son, Ronald, after Tylenol and Motrin did not work.

Sheppard's mother reportedly told her to rub alcohol on Ronald's gums.

It isn't clear if Sheppard tried this before filling her son's bottle, at least partially, with bourbon, which he appears to have taken a few hearty gulps of.

Police said Sheppard left her trailer home for a short while and returned to find the baby "unconscious and unresponsive" inside his playpen.

After receiving local emergency room treatment, Ronald was airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock where he underwent treatment for several days before being released into the custody of child welfare workers.

Sheppard, who reportedly admitted to giving her son alcohol after denying it at first, told police Ronald "was fine before she placed him in his playpen."

The child allegedly had a blood alcohol content of .19 when he was brought to the local emergency room.

Sheppard was jailed on charges of child endangerment and aggravated assault.

She is currently being held on a $10,000 bond.

Citations: Cops: Mom Put Bourbon In Her Baby's Bottle (The Smoking Gun)