In late September, Megan Nicole Moss, a 27-year-old resident of 50 Black Bear Lane in Palm Coast, who’d failed out of drug court in 2017, somehow allowed her 18-month-old son to get into her purse and chew on Subutex pills, a narcotic. The boy had to be sent to an intensive care unit in Orlando.
On Monday, enraged by the presence of Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies looking to serve a warrant (one relating to a different woman), Moss allegedly slammed a sliding glass door in anger–and severed the tip of her son’s thumb. He was again hospitalized. Moss was arrested and charged with felony child neglect with great bodily harm.
Deputies had been searching for Moss in the B Section. Residents on Beechwood Lane pointed to a certain house there. Deputies got permission to enter the house from a resident at the house, a 23-year-old man. Moss was sleeping inside, and was woken up. According to her arrest report, she told deputies she was sleeping off a hangover. She got upset and walked out of the house in a t-shirt and thong underwear, then allegedly started yelling at the 23-year-old man–and several sheriff’s deputies–for 10 to 15 minutes.
The man tried to walk away. Moss pursued him until deputies warned her that she would be going to jail if she put a hand on him. She walked back to the house but only to “escalate the situation again,” her arrest report states. By then some of the deputies had walked to the house at 71 Beechwood Lane.
Body Cam Video
“As I was walking around the rear of 71 Beechwood Lane,” a deputy reported, “I could still hear Ms. Moss screaming at the top of her lungs about her displeasure with law enforcement. I then heard Ms. Moss at 67 Beechwood Lane sling the rear sliding glass door open, and slam it shut. When the sliding glass door was slammed shut, it had a different sound than normal, which was accompanied by a child screaming in pain. After confirming the rear of 71 Beechwood Lane was secure, I walked back over to the rear of 67 Beechwood Lane to see what had happened and if the child I heard crying in excruciating pain was ok.”
Moss was holding her son, holding his hand in her bare hand as he screamed. The deputy convinced her to show the boy’s hand: “I observed the tip of [the boy’s] left thumb, approximately half the length of [his] thumb nail, had been severed off by the sliding glass door,” the deputy reported. The child was tended to, the severed part of the thumb secured, and rescue personnel called in.
“I did not know my child was behind there,” she tells a deputy.
“It was apparent that due to Ms. Moss’s level of intoxication, she was acting irrational, with disregard for her children’s safety, and completely negligent,” the deputy reported, “which resulted in Ms. Moss severing the tip of her two year old son’s thumb off with a sliding glass door.” She was resistant even after deputies asked Moss to step outside to wait for rescue personnel. “There were weapons everywhere in plain view, and that it was for my safety,” the deputy reported (the weapons were not explained in the report), but the deputy did not want to be more commanding than necessary with Moss because her daughter was watching from the living room.
Rescue personnel assessed the boy and estimated that he would “most likely lose the tip of his thumb.” A physician at AdventHealth told deputies there would be an attempt to reattached the severed portion, but that it would require many stitches. Moss was not immediately arrested, because she was with her child at the hospital. She was later charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, and a warrant for her arrest was secured.
The next day, a deputy saw her at a gas station and informed other deputies so the warrant on the child-neglect charge could be served. While doing so, deputies also arrested her on a third charge of driving without a license, a third-degree felony. She had previous, similar convictions of driving without a license–in June 2011 and November 2017, according to her citation. She became a candidate for drug court, and proceeded with the program for four years between 2013 and 2017, after a 2013 arrest on charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and fraud.
The court imposed a no-contact order on Moss, but it applies only to her 2-year-old son.
Richard says
Just another one of Palm Coast’s high upstanding citizen. SMH
ASF says
Child Protective Services needs to be every careful where and with whom they place these children. Other family members should be thoroughly checked before placing any of them with them because they could be drug/alcohol abusers too…and/or enablers who would unwisely expose these kids to Mom even when/while she is (hopefully) incarcerated.
TheTruth says
Please don’t allow this obvious addict to get her child back. She is not capable of being a sane parent.
Hmmm says
MOTHER OF THE YEAR!!!
Concerned Citizen says
Another product of light sentencing who obviously does not give a damn.
If someone fails out of drug court and repeatedly get arrested on other charges they need to loose all chances at a second break. Stop with the pleas and probation. It’s not working.
Hopefully the courts wise up and get her off the streets for a bit. Then get that child into a safe home before something really bad happens.
woody says
An example of the future Palm Coast residents.
blondee says
Mother of the year right there
Jackson5 says
Palm Coast is full of deadbeat renters! And the city want more low income housing! Wow, time to move to nice small town which at one time was Palm Coast.
Citizen says
DCF works hard and has the best interest of these kids, but these Judges keep giving them back to their worthless parents. I took in 9 foster kids over 5 years and everyone was orderd to return to their worthless/drug parents. They only want them back so they can get their welfare checks. It was so sad to see them have to suffer when i could have provided them with a successful life. I would even write the Judge, but my letters would always be returned unopened. Its truly heartbreaking.
ASF says
Mom should be made to watch that body-cam video every day that she is in incarcerated and/or in (hopefully, long-term) rehab..
deb says
She needs to be in prison for harming a child. And take the worthless lawyer that allow these type of people to walk free. Lock them up as well.
Steve says
Another Coaster slacker in tru form
robert traister says
Deltona 2
GT says
That poor little kid. Please take these children away from this women while they still have a chance to grow up somewhat normal and put her away so she can think about getting herself together.
Donna says
Look go back in time you do wrong, jail time . ,clean the street do some work make the city clean no playing pool, reading, getting free medical, free dental, you make $.10 a day and after awhile you pay for your crap you need just like us trust me if they knew what they have to do it will STOP but NOoooo we have these stupid people oh they have rights too B/S
!go back to the old ways
Trailer Bob says
I have said it many times, and I will say it again, why do violent or dangerous criminals get such light sentences…if sentenced to jail at all?
Seems that Flagler County feels smoking pot is a mortal sin (even though it will soon be legal in all US states), but those who harm children, spouse, get a slap on the wrist?
THURSTON HOWELL III says
People need not to be so quick to condemn this poor mother! That mistake could of been made by any parent. I’m sure she did not do it on purpose. Who knows what problems in life she is going thru. She probably is a single parent, struggling with addiction. That does not make her a bad person. We all make mistakes! Remember-Who ever is without sin, cast the first stone!
Pitching Wedge says
If this child and his sister stay with the mother, they will have close to zero chance of growing into responsible adults…….if they live that long.
Exit 81 says
We (flagler) are getting a 2nd Judge. With a lighter case load, maybe they can take time to consider the ramifications of their sentencing.. Drugs and alcohol do NOT work with raising children. Keep her locked up And in a detox program. Teach her coping skills. Then decide if you would want her to live in your area and raise children.
Mary Fusco says
Mr. Howell, all parents make mistakes. What she is doing is not mere mistakes, it is child endangerment. Most parents do not leave drugs in their purse where their child can get them and overdose. She was woke up from a drunken stupor (she admitted she was sleeping off a hangover) and took it out on the child. Who was watching her children, while she was sleeping? No one is without sin, but when you have children, they are your first and foremost responsibility. Maybe you would like to take in this lovely bunch and watch over them. LOL I guess this is the future of Palm Coast. Sad. Of course, it is always someone else’s fault that one is a deadbeat.
ASF says
That “cop-cam” video is heart-breaking! But I bet the sheriff’s deputies see this kind of stuff all the time.
Anonymous says
Shes been in rehab before.. sending people to rehab does not work unless they actually want the help. You can teach them all the coping skills you want but until they are ready they will continue doing what they were doing. If she was sleeping off a hangover then who was watching her children. Shes a mother and that should be her first priority. Children need responsible role models and right now that is not what she is being.
ASF says
It broke my heart to see that little girl in the background of the video. Chances are, she thinks it is more HER responsibility to keep this family together than her mother does.
Geezer says
Dear THURSTON HOWELL III:
Just sit right back
And you’ll hear a tale
A tale of a bad comment
That started from your computer’s port
aboard your tiny ship…
I don’t care if there’s no phone, no lights,
no motor cars–not a single luxury
That child deserves better!
Anonymous44 says
I know this girl personally. Her son just OD in September off of her meds. So this is not her first “mistake” with raising these 2 kids. DCF investigates the wrong people, but she still has her kids. Why? I guess failing drug court, sleeping wherever you can, with 2 kids, poisoning your child, and now physically harming him isn’t enough?! What’s it gonna take?
Name (required) says
So this neighbor was just next door being weird and the kid got his finger smashed? I didn’t know accidents where criminal but I guess it’s palm coast. Guess She should’ve minded her own business. Wow. What a place to deal with. Did I mention before how much I hate this town and it’s transients? Thanks, yanks. Nice work here.
Shewana says
Y’all what’s so sad is Many Many years ago I was good friends with her mom. I remember Megan as a baby
Even kept her a few times. It’s just very sad to see her being like this. Her dad was many year ago a Computer Programmer. But her mom love to drink on weekends. And her dad after work would smoke pot. But Bryan was a good person.