Meth, syringes and a baby found inside Springfield home with no utilities, police say

Springfield police say they entered the home of a suspected meth dealer in February and found a 2-year-old child sitting on a couch with multiple pocketknives on the cushions.

An open purse in the room had uncapped syringes, police say, and mixed in with the toddler's toys on the floor was a car battery.

The bottoms of the 2-year-old's feet were black and brown, covered with what appeared to be a mixture of dirt and feces, a police officer wrote.

As officers began to care for the child — who was wearing only a soiled diaper — a detective located about 14 grams of meth inside the home, according to court documents.

The incident is described in a probable cause statement used to charge the boy's father, James Mathre, with a felony drug charge and endangering the welfare of a child.

The statement said Mathre, 35, appeared to be under the influence of drugs when he spoke with officers that night on Feb. 22 at his home in the 600 block of South Warren Avenue.

He slurred his speech and had trouble sitting up, the statement said. At times, he tried to vomit and cry and, police say, he once pretended to be asleep.

Meanwhile, officers walked throughout the house.

Inside the kitchen, food rotted in a refrigerator without power, moldy dishes were piled on the countertops, and more uncapped syringes were found in a pantry, the statement said.

The house did not have working utilities, the statement said, but Mathre had an extension cord plugged into a neighbor's home to power a large-screen TV, a lamp and a space heater.

According to the statement, Mathre said he didn't know where the child's mother was, though police were eventually able to contact the child's grandmother, who came to get the toddler immediately.

The News-Leader spoke with the grandmother, 64-year-old Nelda Niedo, on Monday.

Niedo is still caring for the boy.

"He's just a great little kid — smart," she said. "He's doing so well."

There have been struggles and joys in the year or so that Niedo has cared for her grandson, she said.

"At my age, I haven't watched a 2-year-old in over 20 years," Niedo said, laughing. "The way he looks at the world is so fun."

When she first began caring for her grandson, Niedo said she felt alone. Since then, she said she has realized there are more grandparents who are raising their children.

"This is unprecedented," Niedo said. "It's an epidemic."

Niedo said she no longer feels alone, though, and is planning to attend a fair at the Midtown Carnegie Library in February.

Sarah Rosendahl of the Springfield-Greene County Library District said the event — the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resource Fair — is the first of its kind in the area.

It takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17.

According to Rosendahl, numerous organizations will be participating in the fair, which will help connect grandparents raising grandchildren with important resources — as well as one another.

"It is a growing family element in our society," Rosendahl said. "It helps bring attention to the fact that there a lot of grandparents raising grandchildren."

A photographer will be taking free family portraits, Rosendahl said, and craft activities will be available for children.

The resource fair is free, Rosendahl said, though grandparents are asked to register for the event starting Feb.2 by calling 417-862-0135.

The event is sponsored by the library, the Springfield NAACP's Be a Jewel initiative, and a group called Grands Raising Grands.

Kimberly Shook started Grands Raising Grands a few years ago when she took over parenting her two grandchildren.

"I felt like I was all alone," Shook said.

Shook said her group has now grown to more than 200 grandparents, many of whom have children battling addictions.

The group holds in-person meetings where grandparents can meet each other and learn from experts in law and childcare, Shook said. The best way to learn more about her group is to join its Facebook group: "Grands raising grands in and around Springfield, Mo."

As for Mathre, a few weeks after police arrested him at his home, court records say he sold meth three times to an undercover police officer.

Those sales led to Mathre being charged with three more felony drug charges, court records say.

According to the search warrant used to raid Mathre's house, Mathre had been arrested before for marijuana and meth as well as unlawful use of a weapon.

As of Tuesday morning, court records show he has not been arrested on these charges.