"Children's voices should be the heartbeat of any type of documentation"

My name is Tracey Jones,  I am starting this petition in regards to what my nephew Caleb endured. I have been wanting to push this for about a year and a half now but I needed to do some research. In September/October I talked to investigators here and confirmed there's no charges that can be filed.

     On June 27, 2020 Caleb was at home with his dad/my brother when he passed. Caleb was 5 at the time. He was left by himself all night with his dad lying in the floor and was threatened that if he told what happened "he'd come back and find him." He was terrified! On October 5th I was told there are no charges that could be made regarding Caleb unless it was "after the fact," an aggravating factor, that someone was charged with my brother's death or I could pursue a civil suit.

     Did you know that as of now, there is NO law in North Carolina whatsoever for kids exposed to a drug related situation? Law enforcement officers hands are tied, meaning it doesn't matter if they are in a situation/home where drugs are. Whether it is methamphetamine,  fentanyl, or any other illegal substances.  There is no law against it, so no one is held responsible! Simply put, you can get a bigger ticket for a child seat belt violation than you can for a deadly drug exposure to a child. This is not right! No child should experience the things they do with no one facing consequences.  These people should be held accountable for their actions, they have no regard for life or the life of a child. We have to protect these kids. Kids that go through things that Caleb endured will be traumatized for the rest of their lives. This is not acceptable,  that the person responsible for his trauma will not be charged.

     It's time to take a stand and be the voice for so many like Caleb. He saw his daddy die and sat there with him all night, if that doesn't define terror nothing will! Yes, his case is still under investigation.  It's clear that it was not an accident, it was done to him intentionally.  The person who done it told Caleb "he was going to get medicine to help his daddy" but never came back. I can't share a lot of details yet because of the investigation. 

     Under "Caleb's Law," I am asking to put into Law a Felony charge for these people who have no regard for the life of a child and what they are exposing them to, including children that are born addicted to drugs. This could include but not limited to:

*Felony child abuse

*child neglect 

*Felony child endangerment

*Felony mental abuse of a child

Harsher penalties if there are prior convictions/charges involving but not limited to:

*Any drug convictions

*Involved with death by distribution charge 

*Murder charge of any kind that involves the use of a drug causing death

*Assault with a deadly weapon

I come to you asking to please sign the petition,  I will also have a paper petition!! We have to be the voice for so many innocent kids. I plan to send this to senators, and any state representative I need to in order to get this law passed. Our local sheriff's department supports this and feels this is something that desperately needs to be in place! 

LETS MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD FOR THESE KIDS ❤️