Malcolm Marees Smith, 31, of Festus man been charged with three felonies after his two young sons allegedly ingested methamphetamine that was in a bowl mixed with candy. The boys were 3 and 1 and were under their father’s care when they allegedly consumed the meth in April 2021, court records show.
The 3-year-old boy was hospitalized for at least five months with kidney and liver problems and muscle deterioration after the incident, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Festus Detective Sgt. Lewis Pippen said the 1-year-old boy was not hospitalized.
Pippin said he did not have an update on the older boy’s condition.
Smith, who was 30 at the time, is the biological father of both the boys, but the two have different mothers, who were the boys’ primary caregivers, Pippin said.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Smith on May 18 with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of possession of a controlled substance, each one a class D felony punishable by no more than seven years in prison.
Smith was being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 surety bond. His next court hearing is set for Aug. 3, according to court documents.
According to the probable-cause statement, the 3-year-old boy stayed with Smith one night and began showing symptoms.
Pippen said both boys tested positive for methamphetamine.
After the Children’s Division was notified that the 3-year-old had tested positive for drugs, a Festus Police officer accompanied a state welfare worker to search the home and found a baggie containing “a white crystal substance” on top of the microwave; the bag was in a tray with several different types of candy, the probable-cause statement said.
Pippin said it’s difficult for first responders to see children hurt.
“Children shouldn’t have to go through anything like that, and it is a bad situation for everybody involved,” he said. “No one likes to see that. It is tough.”
Pippen said Smith was arrested after the search but was released pending lab results and the application for warrants.
The substance was sent to the Missouri Highway Patrol lab for testing, and on Sept. 23, 2021, the lab confirmed the substance was meth, the report said.
Pippen said the wait for the drug analysis probably was the reason for the delay in filing charges against Smith.
Smith's attorney, Daris Clinton Almond Jr., did not return a phone call for comment.