A woman was arrested Sunday after she reportedly left two 2-year-old boys unattended for an hour and half while drugs and drug paraphernalia were found inside the residence.
Stephanie Stuchell, 26, was charged with two counts of endangering a child (criminal negligence), a state jail felony.
The reported child endangerment happened Sunday in the 1700 block of Patton Drive, an Odessa Police Department affidavit detailed.
A man, identified as 43-year-old Ernesto Ochoa, stated that a 2-year-old had walked over to his residence, the affidavit stated. Ochoa believed the 2-year-old lived at the residence next door to his and he stated the child had been outside of the residence unattended for an hour and half.
Officers went to the residence where the 2-year-old lived, the affidavit detailed. Officers yelled “Odessa Police Department” several times with no response.
As officers stood in the doorway, they saw another 2-year-old boy sitting in a small chair with a blanket, the affidavit stated. Officers reportedly saw dried blood around his upper lip and nose. Officers walked into the residence and made contact with the child.
The 2-year-old also had bruises on his head, back and around his right eye, the affidavit stated. Contact was eventually made with Stuchell who was in the front bathroom. She stated she had fallen asleep due to some sleep apnea issues.
Officers reportedly saw a dirty house that hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. There were dirty dishes and clothing all over the residence and the children’s bunk beds were full of stuff and no one could sleep on them.
Officers asked Stuchell if they could search the bathroom that she had been in and she gave consent, the affidavit stated. Officers asked the woman if there any narcotics in the bathroom and she stated there was Tramadol in a bottle without a label.
During the search of the bathroom, officers also found a pink bag sitting on the bean bag inside of the bathtub that had several methamphetamine pipes along with syringe needle tips and small individual baggies used for narcotics, the affidavit detailed. One green baggie reportedly had meth residue in it.
Officers also found a pink Paw Patrol bag that had a meth pipe in the bathroom sink. Stuchell stated she had used meth two days prior.
Stuchell was arrested, charged and transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. She has two bonds totaling $30,000 and was in custody as of Monday afternoon, jail records show.
