Bellingham man arrested after two young children reportedly exposed to meth in his home
A Bellingham man is suspected of exposing two young children to unhealthy levels of methamphetamine in his home, resulting in one of the children — a 13-month old girl — being airlifted to Seattle Children’s Hospital after she was found unresponsive.
Bellingham Police booked Matthew Edward Huffstodt, 32, into Whatcom County Jail Sunday, June 27, on suspicion of reckless endangerment with a controlled substance. Jail records show he was released Monday evening on $80,000 bail.
Police were notified March 14 by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families that a 13-month-old child had been airlifted to Seattle Children’s Hospital after her mother found her unresponsive, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email. The child was in the care of Huffstodt at his South Hill neighborhood home at the time.
A toxicology test at the hospital showed levels of methamphetamine were in the child’s system, Murphy reported, and it was likely that it came from ingestion.
“The medical, long-term prognosis for Victim 1 (the child) is unknown at this time,” Murphy wrote Monday evening.
Huffstodt denied using methamphetamine, Murphy reported, but an oral swab tested positive for the stimulant, as well as other drugs.
Police obtained a search warrant for Huffstodt’s home and searched it on March 24, collecting wall swabs that were sent to a lab and analyzed for the presence of methamphetamine, Murphy reported.
The Washington State Department of Health deems a building unfit for occupancy if methamphetamine levels inside the residence are above 1.5 micrograms per 100 square centimeters, according to Murphy.
One of the samples taken from Huffstodt’s home in a secondary bedroom where a second child — a toddler — lives showed levels of 53 micrograms per 100 square centimeters — more than 35 times the what the Department of Health deems unfit — according to Murphy, while levels in the living room returned results of 45 micrograms per 100 centimeters.
“The levels of methamphetamine contamination in Huffstodt’s residence were well above the health-based standard and pose a significant health risk to those residing or spending a substantial amount of time in the residence, such as Victim 1 (baby) and Victim 2 (toddler),” Murphy wrote.
Bellingham officers picked up Huffstodt at 1:43 p.m. Sunday on Cliffside Drive on the probable cause warrant after he was already in the custody of Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Murphy reported.
