A Missouri mother is facing felony charges after a photo of her allegedly smoking meth in the presence of her baby ended up on Facebook.
Authorities charged Ashley Ann Lewis, 28, with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child on Friday, KTLA sister station WDAF in Kansas City reported.
The Facebook post, which has since been deleted, was captioned, “Please help my friend Ashley Lewis and I stop using meth. We can’t even stop with a baby around. We need help!”
The photo appears to show Lewis smoking the drug from a glass pipe with her 6-month-old daughter lying on the couch right next to her.
After discovering the photo, officers located a motel where Lewis was living and conducted a search Friday night, finding a total of eight glass smoking pipes, among other drug paraphernalia. The motel is in Richmond, about 35 miles east-northeast of Kansas City.
“She said the picture was about a month old, and she did indicate that it was her smoking meth in the picture,” Detective Scott Bagley with the Richmond Police Department said.
Bagley said the photo was posted on the Facebook page of a friend of Lewis by an unknown third party.
“She was obviously very upset, believing that life was over, that she was going to no longer get to see her kid,” Bagley added.
Lewis’ mother told WDAF her daughter has made a huge mistake and needs rehabilitation for her drug use.
Lewis is currently being held in jail on $15,000 bail and is expected to appear in court next week.
There is also a warrant for her arrest in Lafayette County, where investigators said the photo was taken.
If convicted of the charges, Lewis could face up to 15 years in prison.
Lewis’ 6-month-old daughter is in protective custody.