Salisbury parents charged with child abuse following infant overdose from fentanyl exposure

Published 5:34 pm Thursday, January 4, 2024

SALISBURY — Two Salisbury parents were arrested Wednesday and charged with felony child abuse after law enforcement determined their child was exposed to fentanyl.

According to a press release from the Salisbury Police Department, on Dec. 27 of last year, officers were made aware of an infant that had been taken to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center for a possible fentanyl exposure.

“The Salisbury Police Department Criminal Division responded and was able to determine that the infant was exposed to high levels of fentanyl while in the care of its parents,” the release said.

The father Phillip Wayne Ketchie, 31, and the mother Felisha Nicole Robinson, 36, were both arrested on Wednesday and charged with felony child abuse causing serious bodily injury. They were placed into the Rowan County Detention Center under a $50,000 bond.

Details on the infant’s condition were not released by the SPD. The story will be updated if new information becomes available.