LAFAYETTE, Ind. — On September 7, a 9-month-old baby endured a harrowing experience, appearing to suffer a heroin overdose while confined to a car seat within his residence on North Ninth Street, according to charges filed on Wednesday.
Responding to the distressing scene at approximately 7:50 p.m. on September 7, both police and paramedics discovered the infant with blue-tinged lips and shallow breathing, as detailed in the accompanying affidavit that led to charges against 32-year-old Matthew Joel Shepard, a resident of Lafayette.
Promptly, paramedics administered Narcan to the infant, resulting in the child regaining consciousness, as outlined by prosecutors.
Narcan, a medication expressly intended for responding to known or suspected opioid overdoses, played a pivotal role in saving the baby’s life, as per the probable cause affidavit.
According to the child’s mother, the evening began with the baby playfully crawling around the apartment before they secured the child in a car seat with a bottle, an event that transpired around 7 p.m. on September 7. Shortly thereafter, the mother observed the child struggling to breathe and displaying a bluish hue, according to the prosecution’s account.
A subsequent search of the apartment revealed substances that yielded positive field tests for heroin, prosecutors reported. Notably, the suspected heroin was discovered beneath the couch, situated near the infant’s car seat.
The mother additionally admitted to law enforcement that both she and Shepard had smoked marijuana before the baby’s apparent overdose, prosecutors stated.
Further inspection of the apartment uncovered syringe caps and other indicators of drug-related activities, according to the prosecution.
Shepard now faces a series of charges, including possession of heroin, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, maintaining a common nuisance, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
Furthermore, prosecutors have levied an additional sentence-enhancing charge against Shepard, branding him as a habitual offender, a designation that, if convicted, may extend any potential prison sentence.
While Shepard was briefly incarcerated on September 8, records from online jail searches indicate that he has since been released.
