By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A 22-year-old Pelham woman is facing a felony chemical endangerment charge after police said she and her newborn baby tested positive for marijuana earlier this year.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Christen Gabrielle Burke, who lists an address on McCallan Drive in Pelham, on May 16 and charged her with one felony count of chemical endangerment of a child where a controlled substance is produced.

The charge is a Class C felony, and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

According to her arrest warrants, she gave birth to a baby at Alabaster’s Shelby Baptist Medical Center on March 25. After the child tested positive for marijuana, the case was turned over to the Shelby County Department of Human Resources, said Alabaster Deputy Police Chief Jeff Anthony.

After the DHR investigated the case, it turned the case over to police, who obtained an arrest warrant for Burke.

As of May 17, Burke remained in the Shelby County Jail on a $5,000 bond. She did not yet have a future court date listed.