March 13, 2024 - Tulare County Sheriff's Office officials report that just after 2:00 P.M. on March 11, 2024, TCSO Deputies were called to the Sub-100 block of Chimney Road on the Tule River Indian Reservation, for a two-year old not breathing and unresponsive.

CPR was initiated and the child was transported to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera. The child’s father, 25-year-old Gary Stewart of Porterville, told Deputies that the child had fallen asleep with a mouth full of chips, when he began to choke.

Valley Children’s Hospital evaluated the child and determined he had Fentanyl in his system. Child Welfare Services were called to the scene.

Stewart told Detectives that he had fentanyl on him, which was how the child had gotten it into his system. Stewart was taken into custody and later booked into TCSO Pre-Trial.

The child is currently listed in stable condition and is expected to recover.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Detective Jeremy McMillan and/or Sergeant Merced Zamora with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office at (559) 733-6218. Or, they can remain anonymous by calling or texting (559) 725-4194 or through email at tcso@tipnow.com.

Source & photo: Tulare County Sheriff's Office