PORTLAND, Ore. - A 4-year-old boy was placed into protective custody after his mother was arrested on meth charges.

Teresa Ann Brice is out of jail for now and on Tuesday was upset with KATU News over concerns that our coverage would jeopardize the family's chance of getting their boy back.

One of Brice's neighbors said he was relieved to hear of her arrest.  Investigators said Brice was using and dealing meth, with a 4-year-old son in the house.

Police photos show the inside of the home - clutter is everywhere, there is drug paraphernalia on a shelf and filth in the kitchen, where raw meat sits atop a pile of dirty dishes.

Detectives said the child living in the home was not in good health and they placed him in protective custody.

Dr. Christiane Farentinos, an addiction expert from ChangePoint treatment center, said meth overwhelms a person and everything else in life comes secondary to the drug.

"Your focus is not in cleaning the house and buying groceries," she said.  "When you become addicted to a drug, what happens is that your brain gets hijacked by that drug."

Outside the home, we found the child's father, David Varner.  He denied that he and Brice use meth.  We saw him cleaning up dog feces and he said the clutter around the trailer was from him trying to clean up the place.

Meanwhile, police said a grand jury will meet and consider the charges against Brice.