Mother Convicted after Sixteen-Year-Old Overdosed on Fentanyl

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a woman who brought fentanyl into the hospital resulting in the overdose of her daughter, her husband, and herself.  Stacy Rena Boles, 46, was convicted of Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect.  Judge Scott Green set the case for sentencing on January 15, 2026, where Boles faces a sentence between eight and twelve years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a three-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys Franklin Ammons and Heather Ens explained to the jury that on April 26, 2022, Dustin Boles was a patient at the University of Tennessee Medical Center when Stacy Boles and her sixteen-year-old daughter came to visit.  Stacy Boles brought a bag of fentanyl with her to the hospital to share with her husband.  At some point during the hospital visit, the teenage daughter also used fentanyl.  During their rounds, UTMC staff found the child overdosing in the hospital room and initiated a Code Blue.  Dustin Boles and Stacy Boles also overdosed in the hospital room.  All three received doses of naloxone and were revived; however, the teenager is now permanently disabled because of this crime.

“While we have made progress reducing the number of overdose deaths in our community, fentanyl remains the most dangerous drug on our streets,” said DA Allen.  “Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues have been the top drug found in overdose death cases in Knox County since 2016.”

Given the age of this victim, Aggravated Child Abuse and Neglect is a Class B felony that carries a sentence between eight and twelve years in prison without the possibility of parole.  Dustin Boles was also charged, but he passed away while the case was pending.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Leah Graves 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.