By Kyle Wind
The Times-Tribune
JESSUP, Pa. — A Jessup couple faces felony charges after their toddler got into their drugs and overdosed, requiring an emergency dose of Narcan to reverse the effects, borough police said Friday.
Authorities were dispatched to the home of Amanda M. Altmann, 29, and Ryan Altmann, 36, at 8:44 p.m. Sept. 19 for a report that a 2-year-old girl ingested an opiate and was in and out of consciousness, Patrolman Michael Arthur said in a criminal complaint.
When he arrived, Amanda Altmann ran to his patrol car carrying her daughter and reported she found a wet packet she believed contained heroin in the area beneath the couch in the 209 Anthony Drive home’s living room, Arthur said.
Police recovered it from the toilet and described it as a blue glassine packet commonly used to distribute and package doses of narcotics.
During the ambulance ride to Geisinger Community Medical Center, the child had trouble breathing and vomited a similar packet. Responders then administered Narcan, an antidote to opioid overdoses.
When Arthur spoke with Altmann at the emergency room, she told him she and her husband have had addiction problems, were sober and were being treated with methadone.
“I asked why she threw the glassine bag in the toilet, and she said that she had panicked with her child’s condition, ... did not want drugs in her home and did not know what to do with it,” Arthur wrote.
The toddler was taken to Geisinger Children’s Hospital in Danville for further treatment and observation.
The child was “physically OK” and in custody of a relative since the incident, Police Chief Joseph Walsh said.
Police obtained search warrants and reported finding numerous items related to drug activity that were accessible to children in the home. They included syringes, bundled and loose glassine bags containing powder, glass and metal tubes containing residue, spoons with residual substances on them, other utensils and sticks with residue on them and two pill containers with unknown substances in them.
A urine toxicology test of the toddler tested positive for cocaine metabolite, which Walsh said is detectable after someone has cocaine in their system.
Jessup police filed the charges this week because they had to wait for lab results and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration showed interest in the case before deciding to have borough police go forward with it.
Further testing of items taken from the home at a state police lab indicated “substantial quantities” of controlled substances including heroin, cocaine, Fentanyl and U-47700 — which the DEA describes as a novel synthetic opioid.
U-47700, heroin and Fentanyl can be components of what is known as “Gray Death” — which Walsh said is new to Northeast Pennsylvania and very dangerous.
“This stuff is easily absorbed through the skin, and it could be very problematic,” Walsh said.
Both Amanda and Ryan Altmann were charged with the felonies of endangering the welfare of children and manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, and related misdemeanors.
Ryan Altmann was initially held in lieu of $100,000 bail but was allowed to go to a treatment facility, Walsh said.
Amanda Altmann was awaiting arraignment Friday night.
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