By Jacob Mathias

A Plover woman faces multiple felony charges and decades behind bars after a police investigation into child neglect uncovered methamphetamine possession.

Kasey McCracken, 28, is charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, which carries a maximum sentence of up to a $10,000 fine, or three years and six months imprisonment or both if convicted. As the defendant is a repeat offender, up to an additional six years imprisonment can be added to any sentence she may receive.

A charge for TCH possession, second offense, could add on another $10,000 fine, or five years and six months imprisonment or both if convicted. A drug paraphernalia possession charge could add another fine of $10,000, or 12 years imprisonment or both.

She also faces a felony identity theft charge, which carried up to another $10,000 fine, or eight years imprisonment or both, if convicted.

A misdemeanor child neglect charge also carries a maximum sentence of a $10,000 fine, or nine months imprisonment or both if convicted. McCracken’s status as a repeat offender could add an additional two years to the prison charge.

McCracken made her initial appearance in Portage County Circuit Court on May 2.

According to court documents, Plover police responded to McCracken’s Mission Lane home on April 20 after Child Protective Services submitted a request for investigation. CPS alleged McCracken was neglectful towards her children, was not feeding them adequately and was not dressing them properly. The complaint also reported McCracken was seen hitting her children, not changing their diapers and not providing adequate supervision.

The report also alleged that McCracken had spoken with residents of the Family Crisis Center about going on four-day “meth binges.”

Detectives visited the home of a woman who was allowing the McCracken and her children to stay there temporarily. The woman reported to police that McCracken doesn’t care for her children, allows them to walk around in soiled diapers and does not adequately supervise them, often leaving them in the care of others without notice.

McCracken was not at the residence at the time, but the woman told police McCracken was visiting friends on the 2600 block of Indiana Ave. in Stevens Point. When police arrived at the Indiana Ave. address, a woman answered the door and identified herself as “Amanda.”

Police questioned the name and it was eventually revealed the woman was McCracken. She said she falsified her name because she’d had past bad experiences with Child Protective Services.

While police spoke with McCracken they discovered an empty pen casing used for snorting drugs. They also searched the defendant’s purse and found eight pieces of chocolate that were eventually tested positive for the presence of THC. A one-hitter marijuana pipe was also found.

McCracken was arrested and taken to the Portage County Jail.

While she was interviewed and processed, police saw McCracken lean down and pick something up from the floor. It turned out to be a vial containing methamphetamine that the defendant had attempted to smuggle into the jail.

McCracken is currently free on a $1,000 cash bond.

She returns to court on May 16 at 3:00 PM for a preliminary hearing.