Four people now charged in baby girl's death after exposure to fentanyl
MONTICELLO - Four people have been charged in connection with the death of a 16-month-old girl who was exposed to the narcotic drug fentanyl.
Acting Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that he conducted a comprehensive investigation into all the circumstances surrounding the death of the girl, Akasha Luvert, while her family was at the Knights Inn Motel on Route 52 in Liberty on May 2.
Conaty said the girl's biological parents, Jimmie Luvert, 41, and Lisa Keitt, 26, have been indicted for second-degree manslaughter, a felony, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Another child of the couple was exposed to fentanyl but is recovering.
Luvert is being held without bail in the Sullivan County Jail while Keitt is being held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail, $1 million bond or $2 million partially secured bond, pending further court action.
Conaty said Luvert has two prior felony convictions and nine prior misdemeanor convictions, while Keitt has a prior misdemeanor conviction.
Conaty announced two other arrests in connection with the child's death. Jacob McCoy, 49, who allegedly sold Luvert the fentanyl that caused the overdose death of his daughter, was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony.
Conaty said McCoy has three prior felony convictions and 10 prior misdemeanor convictions.
Also, Lisa Fedrico, 54, who is the child's biological grandmother, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly smoking crack cocaine in the child's presence shortly before her untimely death. She has five prior misdemeanor convictions, Conaty said.
The names of the defendants' attorneys were not immediately available.
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Conaty said his investigation also found that Sullivan County Attorney Mike McGuire, who is responsible for the removal of children under Child Protective Services supervision, failed to act when that agency tried to remove the two children from their home on three separate occasions.
McGuire is not facing any charges.
A call to McGuire's office seeking comment was referred to the county manager's office, where a spokesman said the county would have no comment.
Conaty said this case has shown the need for significant reform in Sullivan County. He called for the re-institution of the Department of Social Services Legal Department to investigate child abuse and neglect cases, and the establishment of a substance use disorder unit.
Conaty also said his office will now seek minimum sentences of five years in state prison for anyone convicted of selling fentanyl in Sullivan County.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Four people facing charges in drug-related death of baby girl
