Lionel Guy Peterson, 43, who lives north of Festus, allegedly smoked methamphetamine in a Pevely hotel room’s bathroom while two children were in the main room. He also allegedly damaged the room at the Super 8 Hotel, 1711 Hwy. Z, according to court documents.
He was arrested today, Aug. 15, and was being held on a $25,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records show.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on July 30 charged Peterson with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving drugs, a class D felony; possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony; and first-degree property damage, a class E felony, court documents said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Neilson Lea wrote in court documents that Peterson is a persistent offender and that the class D felonies should be treated as class C felonies, and the class E felony should be considered a Class D felony. A class C felony is punishable by three to 10 years in prison, and a class D felony carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
According to court records, Peterson was found guilty in July 2013 for first-degree child molestation in Franklin County, and in June 2014, he was found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender in Franklin County.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the Pevely Police, during an investigation with the Children’s Division on June 16, 2024, at the hotel, Peterson admitted to smoking meth when the children were in the other room. Investigators allegedly found glass smoking devices and other items commonly used during drug use.
Residue on one of the smoking devices tested positive for meth, according to a report by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A hotel employee told officers that Peterson and a woman had rented the room from May 19 through June 16, 2024. When the two checked out of the room, an employee found numerous damaged items, the report said.
The cost to replace the items was $2,409, according to the report.