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From Mirror staff reports
A city couple are behind bars after a 15-month-old child tested positive for methamphetamine.
Kenneth Lee Lampenfeld, 30, and Sarah Ann Sibold, 21, were arraigned Monday before Magisterial District Judge Andrew L. Blattenberger. Each faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person. Unable to post $50,000 each, they were remanded to the Blair County Prison. Their preliminary hearings are set for Oct. 4 before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones.
According to court documents, Altoona police were called to investigate a report of child abuse on Sunday after the baby tested positive for narcotics at UPMC Altoona.
Staff at the hospital said the baby was brought in by Sibold and Lampenfeld due to seizures. The baby would have seizure-like episodes and periods of unconsciousness, staff reported, and had to be medically stabilized. A blood test turned up methamphetamine in her system, the hospital reported.
Staff told police they were unable to conduct an interview with Sibold, as Lampenfeld kept answering for her. UPMC Altoona police were called to escort him off the property because staff felt he was manipulating Sibold, the report states.
Police who interviewed Sibold, while she was sitting with the baby, said the child appeared to be in good health. Sibold initially claimed she and Lampenfeld do not take drugs, police said.
When asked what happened to the child, Sibold told police she put the baby down in the living room and she appeared normal, she was running around laughing and playing. After the baby got into some important paperwork, Sibold scolded her and told her not to touch those papers. The baby then began to cry and had a seizure. Sibold said she contacted AMED for an ambulance, but Lampenfeld said it would be faster if he drove them to the hospital.
When confronted with the blood test results, Sibold eventually admitted that Lampenfeld has pressured her into using meth and that two others who stay in the home also use narcotics. Sibold said Lampenfeld often sets aside the plate he uses for meth and she stopped picking it up because he would pressure her into using the drug.
On Sunday, Sibold said she didn't check for the plate containing meth before she put the baby down to play.
Both Sibold and Lampenfeld were interviewed at the Altoona Police Department where Sibold again talked about the plate and said she confronted Lampenfeld about leaving it where the child could reach it. She admitted Lampenfelt sent her text messages and called her, telling her to lie to police and blame the methamphetamine on the home's other residents, court documents state.
In talking with police, Lampenfeld eventually admitted to snorting meth but claimed that was several days ago and it was all cleaned up. Police said he tried to blame the other residents for the baby's positive test result.
Police executed a search warrant on the house located on the 300 block of 14th Street, where a leaf-shaped plate, as described by Sibold, was found on the coffee table in the living room. The plate contained a white/crystal residue, police reported. In a bedroom belonging to another occupant, police found four syringes, three blue zip top bags and a metal spoon with residue.
The hospital said the baby appeared to be in good health after being stabilized, but would be airlifted to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for further testing.