Father Convicted after One-Year-Old Overdosed on Fentanyl

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Child Abuse Unit obtained a conviction against a man who delayed taking his baby to the hospital after it ingested fentanyl.  Christopher Douglas Ward, 23, was convicted of Aggravated Child Neglect.  Judge Hector Sanchez revoked Ward’s bond, ordered him into custody, and set the case for sentencing on January 15, 2026, where Ward faces a sentence between fifteen and twenty-five years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys Ashley McDermott and Sean Roberts explained to the jury that on February 29, 2024, Ward invited friends to his home to smoke marijuana.  While he was smoking marijuana, his child’s mother, Kiana Coffman, was feeding the one-year-old when she noticed something blue in the baby’s mouth.  The baby spit out a blue pill.  When Coffman asked Ward what the pill was, he eventually stated that it was a Roxicodone pill.  Ward took the pill that was in the baby’s mouth and ate it himself.  The pill was actually a pressed fentanyl pill.  Even though the baby became lethargic after spitting out the pill, Ward and Coffman waited to take the baby to the hospital.  It was not until the baby started turning blue and having respiratory problems that they took the baby to the University of Tennessee Medical Center emergency room.  Ultimately, the child was transported to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where she continued to receive treatment for several hours.  In total, the baby received five doses of naloxone, an opioid reversal medication.  Thankfully, the baby has fully recovered and is in a safe home.

“This child is alive thanks to the hard work of medical professionals who saved her life,” said DA Allen.  “They are the true heroes in this case.”

Aggravated Child Neglect is a Class A felony that carries a sentence between fifteen and twenty-five years in prison without the possibility of parole.  Coffman testified at trial and pled guilty to Child Neglect and False Report.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Kara Sowards and Legal Secretary Erin Morrison aided in the prosecution of this case.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.