Woman Facing Child Endangerment Charge After Found Intoxicated, Bottle Had ‘Green Liquid’
Every day this week, Missoula Police have had to respond to calls concerning child endangerment, usually involving a drunk driver. On Tuesday though, Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh says a report came in about 33-year-old Amanda Stokes and a child in her care at a local motel.
"An officer responded to a 911 call that requested a welfare check on a woman with a small child, in fact a one-year-old infant, in the 1100 block of West Broadway," said Welsh. "The woman in question appeared to be very intoxicated while trying to take care of her child and they felt that she was inadequate in that effort."
According to Welsh, the woman had reportedly been sneaking into rooms at the motel and passing out. Police called Child Protective Services who had also been trying to contact Stokes.
"She did appear to be intoxicated at the time [Police arrived]," said Welsh. "The conditions that she was living in included a couple nights outside with the child. Being in her intoxicated state she was not adequately taking care of the babies needs. For example, the baby hadn't had a diaper change recently, was dirty, the baby was crying and had a runny nose... there were concerns about the babies health."
The police report goes as far to say that the one-year-old's bottle was filled with a green liquid. Originally charged with Criminal Child Endangerment, Stokes is now facing a charge of Negligent Child Endangerment and will appear in court on Thursday, June 15.