Police: EC woman exposed 3-week-old son to meth
Sep. 18—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire woman exposed her 3-week-old son to methamphetamine and other drugs, police say.
Kalysta K. Griffin, 31, 3230 14th St., is charged in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of neglecting a child, possession of methamphetamine and bail jumping.
Griffin is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Sept. 27.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman called police Aug. 15 to report that her roommate, Griffin, was smoking methamphetamine in her bedroom. The residence is supposed to be a sober living house, the woman said.
The woman had her children in the house and didn't want this around them. She said Griffin also had her 3-week-old son with her in the bedroom.
Police arrived at the residence and asked Griffin when she last used drugs. Griffin said she used methamphetamine a couple days earlier at her friend's house. Griffin said she had been sober for about six months during her pregnancy and had a "slip up."
When asked if there were any drugs inside her room, Griffin said she had never smoked in her bedroom.
An officer noticed that Griffin was fidgety and speaking very fast when she answered questions. It appeared her pupils were dilated and her eyes were opened an unusual amount.
Police reviewed two urine tests collected from Griffin on Aug. 14 and 16. They were positive for the presence of amphetamine and methamphetamine.
A hair follicle test taken from Griffin's infant on Aug. 18 was positive for the presence of fentanyl, methadone, amphetamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and morphine.
Police and a social worker spoke with Griffin on Aug. 31 about the baby's hair follicle test. She said she used methamphetamine five times since the child was born but never inside her residence. She started using the drug two weeks after his birth.
Griffin said she had no idea how the baby tested positive for marijuana or fentanyl because she hadn't used marijuana since giving birth.
Griffin said she had methamphetamine inside her room but didn't expose the baby to it. Griffin said she snorted heroin with a roommate in the roommate's bedroom while her infant was napping in the living room.
Griffin confirmed she had been educated on drug exposure to children. She was aware children can get exposed to methamphetamine through contact and she had anticipated her baby's hair follicle test would be positive.
Griffin is being prosecuted as a repeat offender. She was convicted of a felony count of escape in December 2018 in Eau Claire County.
If convicted of the charges, Griffin could be sentenced to up to six years in prison.
