What began as a frantic 911 call about an unresponsive 2-year-old in Monroe Township has turned into a major drug case that now includes a suspected marijuana grow operation, piles of cash and a stack of felony charges in Clermont County. Deputies say they traced the child-endangering investigation to a Pierce Township home, where they reported finding dozens of plants, drugs, firearms and thousands of dollars. The boy was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center and is in stable condition, while two adults are now facing indictments.
How the probe began
At 10:37 a.m. on June 19, the Clermont County Communications Center received a 911 call about an unresponsive 2-year-old boy in the 2100 block of Laurel Lindale Road in Monroe Township. The call taker also heard information suggesting the child might have ingested marijuana, according to a press release from the Clermont County Sheriffs Office. Deputies and Monroe Township EMS responded, and the child was transported to Cincinnati Children's for evaluation. Medical testing later showed cannabinoids in the child’s system, the sheriff's office said, prompting detectives from the investigations division to open a case that led them to a residence in Pierce Township.
Search warrant yields grow, guns and cash
On June 22, detectives and the Clermont County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at a house in the 1100 block of Ivy Farm Way in Pierce Township. There, officers reported seizing about $24,600 in cash, 11 firearms, 45 marijuana plants, approximately 12.33 pounds of marijuana flower, 754.1 grams of THC derivatives, roughly 147 pills, and about 25.48 pounds of mushroom spores, WKRC Local 12 reported. Investigators also collected items they say were used to cultivate and package marijuana for distribution. William J. Wilson, whom detectives identified as living at the Ivy Farm Way address, voluntarily spoke with officers and was charged with having weapons under disability, illegal cultivation of marijuana and trafficking in drugs.
Charges and court dates
A Clermont County grand jury returned an indictment on June 30 charging Brooklyn Maffey with endangering children and corrupting another with drugs, both second-degree felonies, and charging Wilson with corrupting another with drugs and multiple weapons counts, the Clermont County Sheriffs Office said. After the indictment, deputies arrested Maffey and Wilson without incident. Both are being held without bond and are scheduled to appear before Clermont County Common Pleas Judge Jason Nagel on July 1 at 10:00 a.m. Prosecutors said the municipal-court case against Wilson will be dismissed because the indictments move everything to common pleas court, and they noted that laboratory analysis of the seized items could bring additional charges.
Why this matters
Unintentional cannabis exposures in young children have surged nationwide in recent years, particularly from edible products. A Pediatrics study found edible cannabis ingestions in children under 6 climbed roughly 1,375% from 2017 to 2021, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatricians and poison-control experts have also flagged synthetic THC and other unregulated items as especially risky because they can trigger more severe or unpredictable reactions, Nationwide Childrens Hospital noted. Health officials say caregivers should keep all cannabis products, including edibles, vape cartridges and tinctures, locked up and out of sight, and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if they suspect a child has been exposed.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the Clermont County case to contact the Clermont County Sheriff's Office or the prosecutor's office. This story will be updated as new court filings and laboratory results become available.
