KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knox County jury has convicted an Oak Ridge father after prosecutors said he waited to take his 1-year-old to a hospital after she overdosed on fentanyl in 2024.
On Thursday, Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen’s Office released that Christopher Douglas Ward, 23, of Oak Ridge, was convicted of aggravated child neglect, which is a Class A felony. His sentencing was scheduled for January 15, 2026, where he faces between 15 and 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
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During the two-day trial, prosecutors explained to the jury that on February 29, 2024, Ward invited friends to his home to smoke marijuana. The DA’s office said that as Ward was smoking, the baby’s mother was feeding the 1-year-old and noticed something blue in the baby’s mouth.
According to the DA’s office, when the mother asked Ward what the pill was, he said it was a Roxicodone pill, took the pill from the baby’s mouth and ate it himself. However, the pill was actually pressed fentanyl, the DA’s office explained…