Louisa man pleads not guilty in cocaine case

A Louisa County man pleaded not guilty yesterday to the accusation that child neglect led to his two toddlers testing positive for cocaine in April.

Derrick A. Christmas, 25, maintained his innocence during an appearance in Louisa Circuit Court on two charges of felony child neglect. Christmas, who lives in the Zion Crossroads area of the county, had been spending most of his time with the boys' mother, Brenda D. Quarles, 26. She also is charged with two felony child neglect counts.

Quarles' sister was watching the children, now 4 years old and 22 months old, on April 16 when she noticed that they were sluggish and that the older child was vomiting. She rushed them to an emergency room in Charlottesville, where they tested positive for drugs and a prescription sedative, according to statements during a previous court hearing.

When investigators encountered Christmas the following day outside Quarles' home, they found cocaine and marijuana on him and inside a van in which he'd been sitting, police said.

He faces two felony drug counts in addition to the neglect charges. If convicted on both child neglect charges, he could be punished with up to 10 years in prison.
Contact Calvin R. Trice at (540) 932-3674 or .