Union County mother arrested for child abuse says she was following doctor's orders

MONROE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Union County woman is facing child abuse charges after authorities say she drugged her children. Sarah Jones is accused of giving him children aged 8 and 9 drugs that caused them to overdose.

In an interview with Queen City News, Jones maintained her innocence and said she only gave her children medication prescribed by their doctor.

“They are all fake. I am a good and loving mother of three young children. I would never hurt my children,” Jones said.

The 28-year-old says she followed doctor's orders before her children had a reaction to the medication in March.

“I gave the children their prescription medications as dosed by their doctors through the Center for Emotional Health,” Jones said. “I believe [my son’s] the dose of the medication was too high and this caused a seizure.

Authorities say the family took the children to the hospital and doctors determined the children had symptoms of an overdose of Tramadol and Benadryl in their system.

“This was not the first time these children had been admitted to a local medical facility for treatment,” said Lt. James Maye of the Union County Sheriff’s Office. “It was the second or third time and so [investigators] We were able to basically establish a pattern that spanned a few months where these kids had been given way too many medications, some prescription, some over-the-counter.

Jones now faces two counts of child abuse. She sees her children during weekly supervised visits while the children live with different foster families.

“It’s very heartbreaking that they’re not here with us right now and they want to come home to their mom and their family,” Jones said.

Jones said she took parenting classes through the Department of Human Services. She hopes this will help her reunite with her children soon.