SMITHFIELD – A West Smithfield couple has been charged with child abuse and four children have been removed from their home following a 911 call made by one of the children.
Smithfield Police said they responded to the 911 call at 6:35pm Thursday made by one of the four children living at the home in the 300 block of Stancil Street. The child had called 911 saying they could not wake up their parent.
Police arrived and reportedly found 27 year-old Erica Ann Wood unconscious. Officers administered nalaxone (narcan), a drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. EMS arrived and transported Wood to the hospital where she was treated and later released. Officers took Shawn Michael Damato, 29, of the same address, into custody at the scene.
The Johnston County Department of Social Services was contacted and placed the four children, ranging in age from 2 to 6, in the custody of family members.
Damato and Wood were charged with four counts each of child abuse, one count for each child living in the home.
Damato was held on a $10,000 bond. Wood was held on a $20,000 bond. Both were given a court date of August 20, 2020 on the misdemeanor charges.
