Jan 16, 2026 2 min read

A Vanderbilt man is accused of leaving cocaine unsecured at his house that was later ingested by his infant son.

Stephen Kozakovsky, 30, is charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.

The son, whose age was not listed in the complaint, was brought to Penn Highlands Hospital on the morning of Dec. 21, where he was described as “lifeless” and in respiratory distress.

From there, he went to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus and pneumonia, court records stated.

Chemicals found in a urine sample taken hours later at Children’s Hospital indicated the child had metabolized cocaine that had entered his system at least four hours earlier, the complaint said.

The child’s condition improved at the hospital, where he stayed for three days, the complaint said.

The child’s mother, Cheyenne Sanner, told police the child had cold-like symptoms when she dropped him off at Kozakovsky’s house the night before.

Thirteen hours later, Kozakovsky’s observation that the child was barely breathing and looked weak, coupled with his “extremely ill” appearance in a morning FaceTime, alarmed Sanner enough that she took him to the hospital, according to the complaint.

Kozakovsky told police he had used crack cocaine after coming home from work the night before. After first saying his son could have been exposed to residue, Kozakovsky backtracked and said the child never left his playpen, the complaint said.

Kozakovsky also provided alternative theories for how the child came in contact with cocaine, according to court documents: through the child’s mother or from being hugged by Kozakovsky’s brother.

Police also questioned Kozakovsky about a conversation CYS reported with him in which he described cocaine being in the house.

“Kozakovsky advised me that he would come home sometimes and there would be cocaine bags throughout the residence but that wasn’t his, even though he did admit he uses crack cocaine,” state Trooper Grant Rukat wrote in the affidavit of probable cause.

Kozakovsky’s bail was set at $75,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 28.