Father Accused of Negligence After Toddler Hospitalized with THC in System

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Zachary Alexander Chute, 21, of Kenosha
(Kenosha County Sheriff)

SOMERS, Wis. — A Kenosha man is again in custody after failing to appear in court on a felony child neglect charge connected to a disturbing incident where his 18-month-old daughter was hospitalized and tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

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Zachary Alexander Chute, 21, was originally charged on May 1, 2024, with one count of child neglect resulting in bodily harm, a Class H felony. The charge followed an April 29, 2024, incident at a home in the Village of Somers that prompted an emergency medical response.

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According to the criminal complaint, Kenosha County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 12:30 a.m. on April 30 after receiving a call about an unresponsive child. They arrived to find the toddler, WMC, lying on her back on a couch in the basement with her eyes and mouth closed, arms bent rigidly at the elbows, jaw clenched, and body twitching slightly. The child was unconscious and unresponsive to stimuli. Family members said she had no history of seizures, allergies, or other medical issues that might explain her condition.

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The child was rushed by ambulance to Froedtert South in Pleasant Prairie. While undergoing treatment, medical staff confirmed she had THC in her system.

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Deputies spoke with the child’s mother and great-aunt, who reported that Chute, the child’s father, had been caring for her earlier that day while the mother was at work. The mother and Chute share no formal custody arrangement, but they had an informal understanding about visitation. Chute reportedly picked up the child in the early afternoon and took her to his Kenosha apartment.

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Later that evening, he brought the toddler to the aunt’s home, where she reportedly began vomiting around 9 p.m. and appeared unusually tired, with “slanted” eyes. Chute placed her in a playpen and left for his overnight job. Around 11:30 p.m., the mother arrived to pick up her daughter and visited with her aunt for nearly an hour before going downstairs to retrieve the child. At that point, the toddler was found unresponsive and in a stiff, abnormal position. 911 was called immediately.

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During the investigation, Chute first denied any recent marijuana use, but after being confronted with the test results and a conversation the mother reported having with him, he admitted to using THC more recently than he initially claimed. He also admitted that marijuana products were still in his car and home. Deputies recovered two empty vape cartridges from his vehicle in the hospital parking lot, which Chute acknowledged once contained THC. He also confessed to having marijuana at his residence.

Chute was released after posting a $1,000 bail following his initial court appearance. However, on October 2, 2024, he failed to appear in court, and a warrant was issued for his arrest with an increased bail of $2,500.

He returned to court yesterday, where Court Commissioner William Michel II set a new $2,500 cash bail. As of press time, Chute remains in custody. The Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office asked for a $100,000 cash bail.

Chute faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. The felony charge—neglecting a child with resulting bodily harm—requires the prosecution to prove that his negligence led to the child’s exposure to drug use and caused actual harm.

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28 Responses

  1. A message for young women: You might want to think twice about the type of, ahem, “man” you’ll have fathering your children.
    The neglect by the dad makes me want to throw up. This poor child is a victim of careless dumbass parents.

    18
    1. What a dumbass! That seems to be your answer for everything. How do you come up with “Send him back to Mexico” with a name like Zachary Alexander Chute? I bet you wouldn’t have the balls to say that face to face to a Hispanic person. You’re a closet racist who thinks it’s ok to act that way now because of your racist, convict, and rapist president.

      6
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  2. Dispensaries sell child proof containers with all their products..but yeah Wisconsin still keeps it illegal. Great job! 👏 this is the product of black market and some stupidity obviously.

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  3. I used to work with him. Very nice guy he was and a hard worker. Pray this poor baby girl gets better care.

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  4. … so, do they know that the seizure/medical incident was related to THC? Or, did the child have a medical incident, and then THC was subsequently found in the child’s system from some other type of exposure to THC not related to the medical incident?

    Therefore… isn’t it entirely possible that this young man didn’t actually do anything wrong? After all… there are no tests to say WHEN someone ingested THC… just that THC is present in the bloodstream in certain concentrations. The concentration in your bloodstream has to do with frequency of use, amount used, what what used (flower as opposed to concentrates, etc)…

    Don’t just look at dad, is all I’m saying. Even something edible takes more than a few hours to really kick in… so unless this child was actively smoking weed or vaping… we need to really look at this situation in totality.

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