Pregnant Woman Denied Furlough

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A pregnant woman currently incarcerated at the Cannon County Jail was denied a furlough request in Cannon County General Sessions Court Tuesday after failing two drug tests.

Angela Rose Hodge is scheduled to have her baby delivered by Caesarean section on April 13. She has been in jail for violation of probation since Nov. 29, 2010.

Judge Susan Melton was set to grant Hodge a furlough for 90 days after hearing arguments from Public Defender Ken McKnight and Assistant District Attorney David Puckett, and testimony from Jail Administrator Ed Brown.

However, that changed when the tests came back positive for methamphetamine.

"I was going to allow a furlough, but now I have two tests showing positive for meth," Judge Melton told Hodge. "You have caused us a lot of problems, but I can not afford to let you out now.

Judge Melton also told Hodge the court would notify the Tennessee Department of Children Services about the failed tests.

Jail Administrator Brown testified that prenatal care for Hodge while she has been incarcerated has cost the county in excess of $3,000. If the is in jail when the child is delivered, the bill to the county will be around $20,000, Brown said.

Following the hearing, Public Defender McKnight disputed the findings of the court-administered tests. He said he has known them to return inaccurate results in the past.

According to Brown, upon her returned to jail Tuesday, Hodge was administered another drug test, which returned negative results. She was then taken to Stones River Hospital for blood tests.

Later in the day, Public Defender McKnight requested another hearing next Tuesday to consider the results of the tests administered at the hospital. Judge Melton granted the request.
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CANNON CRIME
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Members Opinions:
March 30, 2011 at 10:06am
I for one do not care how much it costs to keep her in jail. The babies life is at stake with this mother. Who knows what she will do to herself when she leaves jail. The baby definetly should be took away. For someone to take drugs while pregnant is child abuse.
March 30, 2011 at 10:25am
i personally think not of the mother in jail,or the costs involved.though the subject of this article was about the mother being denied furlough....perhaps the indirect and MOST IMPORTANT subject of this article is in fact,INDEED, that poor little innocent baby,soon to be born. even a heathen backslidin' Christian such as myself,should recognize the need to PRAY for and HELP this baby. it's not the BABY'S fault its mother is incarcerated.if this child can grow up drug-free,independent,healthy,and have a productive,fruitful,fortuitous,happy life,then perhaps,just perhaps,all the county's money spent on this case,will be money well spent.(but still it's a big burden on the county and its taxpayers, financially speaking).one other thing,perhaps with incarceration for DRUG or ALCOHOL offenses ,there should be mandatory REHABILITATION!just one persons warped opinion!perhaps pregnant mommas in jail do not realize that their(innocent) unborn children are SERVING THEIR ( momma's )TIME ,TOO.talk about injustice?


March 31, 2011 at 9:19am
If in jail since 11/29/10, how did she obtain meth?
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March 31, 2011 at 9:23am
That will be a good question AFTER the results of the blood test is known. As it is now, cold medicine can return a reading for meth on a urine test.
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March 31, 2011 at 2:21pm
Something tells me she has not had any meth. . . It is hard to get meth when the only thing you leave the Jail for is to go to the doctor and on those trips you are under strict supervision!
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