Joplin mother's child endangerment case dismissed
Sep. 18—The Jasper County prosecutor's office dismissed a felony child endangerment charge that a Joplin woman was facing when she waived a preliminary hearing this week on separate felony charges.
Mindy M. Butterfield, 25, waived the hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on counts of stealing and receiving stolen property dating back to arrests in August 2019. Associate Judge Joe Hensley set Nov. 1 for her initial appearance in a trial division on those charges.
The dismissed endangerment charge had been filed on her following two incidents Nov. 5, 2020. Emergency medical assistance and police were called to her residence for an overdose of an 18-year-old male visitor on a medication not prescribed for him and were called back a second time the same day when Butterfield overdosed on alcohol and medication not prescribed for her, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
The endangerment charge was based on the presence of three young men in the home of the defendant and her child, one of whom overdosed in the child's presence and two others with whom police purportedly had prior contact involving illegal possession of drugs.
The stealing count pertains to a shoplifting incident two years ago of $827 worth of items from a Walmart store. The stolen property count involves use of a stolen debit card at a liquor store.
Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.
