Parents Facing Drug Possession, Child Endangerment Charges After 18 Month Old Found ‘Limp and Unresponsive’

Posted 11:20 pm, February 7, 2018, by , Updated at 09:02PM, February 7, 2018

NANTICOKE -- A mother and father are facing charges after their 18-month-old child was found unresponsive in their home in Nanticoke.

Police say the pair were smoking marijuana in their basement while the baby and two other young children, including another 18 month old were upstairs unsupervised.

Neighbors recalled seeing emergency vehicles and a barely dressed baby being carried out of 231 East Green Street by first responders Tuesday evening in Nanticoke.

“The paramedic was holding the baby in his arms very tightly so he wouldn't be cold I guess,” said Kathleen DeAngelis.

Emergency crews and police were called to the house after the father of an 18-month-old child found the child limp and unresponsive.

“He hands the paramedic the baby in the doorway, and it was limp, and it just had a diaper on and a little shirt,” said Larry Beck. “The paramedic had to take his jacket off.”

“The baby looked like it wasn't moving,” said Kathleen Diekhaus.

Police say the baby's parents, Raheem Twyman and Kayla Bitzer, had been smoking marijuana in their basement while that 18 month old, another 18 month old, and a 3-year-old child were all on the first floor unsupervised.

Neighbor Larry Beck says the couple is always smoking in their basement while the children are left alone upstairs.

“Soon as they come in, they go down there,” said Beck. “The kids’ windows are right above here. They're screaming. I went over. I knocked on the door.”

The unresponsive 18 month old was found by Twyman after the 3 year old went to the basement saying the two babies were climbing on his folding table.

That 18 month old was taken to the hospital. The other children were taken into protective custody.

The couple was charged with possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of children.

“They would leave the babies crying for anywhere from 40 to 45 minutes before somebody goes in there,” said Beck.

Kayla Bitzer is out on unsecured bail.

Raheem Twyman remains locked up in Luzerne County.

They both have preliminary hearings set for February 14 at 11:30 a.m. at Magistrate Donald Whittaker.

21 comments

  • Think Positive

    It must be REALLY hard for nurses at the hospital to see babies going home with people who they know are this type of trash. It doesn’t matter how many times I read this stuff in the news, it’s just as heartbreaking every time.

    • Mister Glock To You

      Well, there are possibilities for these offspring. They can go the status quo and wind up to be ne’er-do-well hoodrats like their parents, they can go the welfare-as-a-career route like their mothers, they can dream BIG of being in professional sports and having money to impress their ‘hood, or they can actually rise above this horrific industry of single teenage mothers on welfare and actually BE something. I don’t give much hope for the last option.

  • #CrimePays

    Kayla and Raheem. Beautiful couple. Spay and neuter these people. Kayla has obviously been schooled in the career path of public assistance. Keep the pups coming so that one of them is always under the age of 4, right? So many more benefits available to the very young. And, the very stupid, stupid, stupid mother.

  • John T

    And yet there are so many caring, loving and responsible people that can only dream of having children. Sometimes I wonder why God does what he does…

      • John T

        I was inferring the reasoning as to why God doesn’t allow certain caring and loving people to have children yet careless, drug addicted, and selfish people seem to have children at will….I was not speaking of the choices people make.

    • Ew

      You should ask why “god” does more terrible things than that. This is only anecdotal evidence of children in bad homes. There are plenty of typical, good, loving families that outweigh the horrible ones. All people should stop breeding in general though, or adopt. It’s much better for the earth to adopt than pop out your own, no matter how desperate you are.

    • Alicia

      Actually Larry did call the police and they were there twice but couldn’t do anything bc everything looked fine and babies were sleeping

  • Cowboy

    Another success story from welfare.
    You have more kids, we give you more money for drugs.
    Your tax dollars at work!

    • Givemeabreak

      Always easy to play Monday morning QB from the computer but the fact is most people don’t do anything. I have seen it first hand. Most people are cowards or they don’t want to get involved.

      • Jd

        And I’ve seen first hand, people who DO call to report abuse and neglect, get told by CYS that as long as they(the children) have a roof over their head there is nothing they can do! I even went BEYOND CYS, and no results there either! Seems the “parents” always got a warning they were being watched.

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