The father of the emaciated 14-year-old boy found during a mobile home fire appeared in a shelter hearing Friday to determine custody of the neglected child.
Darin MacDannald, 47, was arrested Tuesday and charged with cruelty toward a child with infliction of injury. His son, who authorities said weighed 85 pounds and was “chronically dehydrated,” remains in the hospital and will be transferred to state custody.
An attorney from the Office of Regional Counsel represented MacDannald.
“My client is not in a position to regain custody today, we are not contesting probable cause,” he said.
In bond court Friday, Judge John Hurley called the emaciated boy “catatonic.”
“[The emergency room physician] said the child was under the influence of some type or types of drugs,” Hurley read from an affidavit. “He did a drug screen on the child. From the child’s blood and urine it tested positive for barbiturates, opiates, cocaine and marijuana. The child appeared to have overdosed on these substances.”
MacDannald told Hurley he is 100 percent disabled and has a metal pole for a leg. He said the boy’s mother lives in Colorado and no one would bond him out of jail.
But Hurley, who said he was concerned about the boy’s health and safety, set MacDannald’s bond at $7,500. MacDannald was also ordered to have no contact with his son.
The boy was discovered after a fire erupted at 260 NE 49th Street in Deerfield Beach. The 14-year-old was wearing dirty clothes and appeared to be dirty all over, according to a complaint affidavit.
The child also had red blotches on both legs that were apparently not caused by the fire, officials said.
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The BSO said the child was unresponsive to questioning by hospital officials and tested positive for barbiturates, opiates, cocaine and marijuana. He was found with several pills, a cigarette and a red makeup case containing cocaine, the report said. A hospital determined the pills were butalbital with codeine, alprazolam and oxycodone.
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MacDannald told authorities he kept his prescription pills hidden and could not explain how the child got hold of the case or where the cocaine came from.
