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Apr 4, 2008 4:24 pm US/Eastern
Family Defends Mother Charged In Lice Case
BELLE VERNON (KDKA) ―
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Nancy Rice says her daughter did not send her children to school with head lice.
KDKA
A Fayette County woman, accused of allegedly sending her kids to school with untreated head lice, was in court today for a preliminary hearing and learned she will stand trial on drug and child endangerment charges.
According to police, Nicole Holmes, from Belle Vernon, sent her two children back to school with head lice despite warnings from school officials that they could not attend classes.
KDKA's Alison Morris reports that those charges were waived to trial in court this morning.
Officials say the cases of head lice were discovered in February and school officials said the children needed treatment before they could come back to class.
Holmes is also facing charges for taking three Xanax pills and passing out at home, leaving her three children unattended.
"I actually thought she was just dead," said Justina Oliveri, a neighbor of Holmes, who found her kids. "I knew she did pills, she also goes to the methadone clinic and I thought she had overdosed. "
But Holmes' mother says those charges are fabricated and the children, who are now in her care, are fine.
"This is a fabrication from the neighbor, "said Nancy Rice, Holmes mother.
Rice did acknowledge that her daughter has a drug problem.
"She will probably go from here to rehab, so if there is a problem she will deal with it," said Rice.
According to the criminal compliant, Holmes and her parents did acknowledge that she did use Xanax pills on that evening.
Meanwhile, Holmes was also facing some additional charges for a separate incident. Police say she allegedly told another person to hide a hypodermic needle from officers responding to the scene of an assault in her neighborhood in Belle Vernon.
However, the charges in that incident were dropped at today's hearing.
After the hearing, Holmes was taken back to the Fayette County Jail where she is being held on $5,000 straight bond.
Stay with KDKA for the latest developments.
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