Saleen Martin
02-17-2025
A southeast Texas man appeared “very high” the day he allegedly gave his daughter a chocolate bar that contained THC, sending her to the hospital, court documents show.
Officials in Harris County made the observation on Valentine’s Day, leading to the arrest of Anong Inthavong, 47, on a child endangerment charge, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
Someone called deputies Friday to the Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus about a drug overdose, according to the Harris County Constable Precinct 5.
According to the caller, a 9-year-old girl said her father had given her a chocolate bar. The girl was rushed to the hospital showing “signs of intoxication,” the precinct shared.
A lawyer for Inthavong did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday afternoon.
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What happened that day?
The girl was visiting her father when he asked her if she wanted a chocolate bar and took it out of a plastic bag, court documents show. The girl ate some of the chocolate, then had a second piece.
“She did not recognize it as any kind of chocolate she had seen before,” the court documents show.
After having the second piece of chocolate, the girl began to feel thirsty, dizzy and could feel her heart beating very fast, the documents show.
The girl’s mother told television station KTRK-TV that her daughter was visiting her father when her daughter called her and said she was feeling unsteady. The girl’s mother rushed to the home and found that her daughter was struggling to stand.
"He almost attempted to stop me, and I grabbed her and got in the car and took off," the girl's mother told KTRK-TV.
Doctors performed a urinalysis, which confirmed the child had THC in her system, court documents show. THC is a compound found in the cannabis plant that is impairing, mind-altering or causes users to feel “high,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials: Defendant admitted to taking ‘multiple drugs’
According to the court documents, the girl’s father called authorities and said he was suicidal.
"(The defendant) was 'very high' and admitted to taking 'multiple drugs today,'" court records show. Officials said that at the scene, he denied being suicidal.
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Court documents also show that he has a history of drug use.
Online court records show previous charges, including an April 2003 marijuana possession charge. He was ordered to undergo two years of community supervision, including urine testing. He was also ordered to stay away from drugs and alcohol, court records show.
In July 2009, he was charged with driving while intoxicated and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to three days in the county jail with two days previously served. He was charged a $200 fine and his license was suspended for a year, court documents show.
At his hearing on Saturday, Inthavong said he didn’t understand what was happening.
“I don't kind of understand because I have a metal plate in my head," he said, according to KTRK-TV.
The judge set Inthavong’s bond at $15,000 Saturday and ordered him not to have any contact with his daughter, per court records.
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