A local mother has been arrested for allegedly neglecting her child’s dental care after doctors told her several times they needed to perform surgery on the 4-year-old’s blackened, rotting teeth, according to court records.
Catlyn Haley, 21, was arrested Thursday on a charge of child neglect after more than a year of allegedly not heeding the advice of dentists to seek treatment for the 4-year-old’s “severe cavities,” officers reported in arresting documents.
The child’s father, Kenneth Haley, was named on her arrest affidavit as a codefendant in the case, but a record of his arrest was not available in Bay or Jackson County documents late Friday.
Bay County Sheriff’s Office reports indicated Thursday that after almost a year and a half, the child still had not been treated.
“As of today’s date, the child has not been seen by a dentist after (Haley) has been advised by multiple medical professionals and advised to seek immediate medical attention,” officers reported. “…The child stated that she does not brush her top teeth because it hurts when she does.”
BCSO reported in March 2014 that during a dental exam at Plus Smiles Children’s Dentistry, a doctor advised the parents their child needed surgery. The child’s front, top four teeth were rotted to the gum and blackened, officers reported.
The doctor scheduled a date for the surgery and told the parents the child would need a physical examination before the procedure, according to BCSO reports. However, as the date neared, the Haleys allegedly told the dentist they had not made an appointment for the physical and the child would not be coming for the surgery.
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