Kenneth Lakeberg admitted he spent as much as $1,300 on a three-day cocaine binge just before his conjoined twin daughters underwent surgery to separate them.
"My babies were whisked away here to Philadelphia. I lost control of myself. I used cocaine and was drinking," the Wheatfield, Ind., man told WCAU-TV Wednesday night.As 7 1/2-week-old Angela, the surviving twin, struggles for life, Lakeberg has found himself fending off questions about his alcohol and drug use, a possible jail sentence and suggestions he has misspent donations.
Lakeberg's lawyer, James Lakin, said the unemployed welder has failed to account for at least $1,300 in donations received in the past week - about the same amount Lakeberg estimated the cocaine cost.
Lakeberg did not say where he got the money to buy the drugs, but he has insisted he hasn't squandered money meant to help his daughters.
"I've got a few problems, but I'm not a criminal. This has all gone too far," he said after visiting his daughter at Children's Hospital.
"The main story is Angela - not my dirty laundry. . . . I do have a drug and alcohol problem and I'll admit to that. But I'm getting help for that."
Lakeberg's wife, Reitha, also expressed dismay at the unfavorable attention. "It's very upsetting. We don't deserve it," she said.
Lakeberg must return to Indiana for a court hearing on Sept. 3, when he could be sentenced to a year in jail for violating terms of probation he received after a knife fight last Christmas.
Drug tests ordered as part of probation turned up traces of cocaine, court records show, and Lakeberg has admitted using marijuana, cocaine and alcohol.