Man Faces Child Abuse Charges When 3-Year-Old Ingests Fentanyl In Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A Las Vegas man was charged with felony child abuse and endangerment after his 3-year-old relative tested positive for fentanyl after a 4th of July weekend trip to Newport Beach, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Eric Duane Bird, 41, was charged with one felony count of child abuse and endangerment and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

He faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison if convicted on all counts. Bird entered into a not guilty plea this week and is currently being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

According to OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer, Bird is accused of traveling from his Las Vegas home with his wife and two teenage kids to spend the holiday weekend with his extended family at an AirBnb.

After celebrating the occasion, a 3-year-old relative became extremely itchy and began turning blue and was barely breathing when his parents put him to bed, Spitzer said.

The toddler tested positive for fentanyl at the hospital, soon after he was revived with Narcan.

An investigation into Bird's Airbnb found a backpack on the ground with a silicone "nectar collector," which is used for smoking drugs, as well as a container of fentanyl and burned foil, Spitzer said.

The paraphernalia was left accessible to the 3-year-old and other children in the home throughout the holiday weekend, prosecutors said.

"Childhood memories of the 4th of July should include fireworks shows, parades, and backyard barbecues — not near-death experiences because a family member cared more about their addiction than the safety of a child," Spitzer said. "We are grateful for the life-saving measures taken by the Orange County Fire Authority paramedics to prevent another fentanyl-related death, especially the death of an innocent child."