Slidell Man Found Guilty for Sick Toddler’s Positive Cocaine Test

Larry Bickham (60) of Slidell was guilty Friday (November 18) of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and simple cruelty to a juvenile for allowing his 17 month old daughter to be present during the manufacturing, distribution, or purchasing of cocaine.  He faces up to life in prison if sentenced as a habitual offender.

The child was rushed to the emergency room at Ochsner Hospital in Slidell on May 1, 2014 by a temporary caregiver, after showing signs of having a seizure.  Kayla Gregg, the child's mother, was no longer living with Bickham and had left the baby with him.

District Attorney Warren Montgomery said: “At the heart of this case is a beautiful little girl, who at just 17 months old tested positive for cocaine in her system. She had no say in her father’s drug addiction. But the jury rightly held her father responsible for the harm his addiction caused this little girl.”