Melcher-Dallas man arrested for child endangerment | KNIA KRLS Radio

A Melcher, Dallas man was arrested Wednesday on two counts of child endangerment and neglect or abandonment of a dependent person in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred in May.

On May 21 at approximately 2:15 p.m., the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a child in Melcher-Dallas who was choking and unresponsive. Emergency responders arrived on the scene and the child was flown by rescue helicopter to Mercy Downtown in Des Moines where he was placed on life support. Police say that while in the care and custody of the suspect, 29-year-old Andrew Murphy, the child came into contact with fentanyl and suffered an overdose. During the incident, Murphy did not call emergency services, but instead took the child to several locations before emergency services were notified. During the investigation, several witnesses identified Murphy as being under the influence of narcotics and driving a vehicle with the child inside.

Murphy was charged with two Class C felony counts of child endangerment resulting in serious injury and abandonment or neglect of a dependent person.