A 32-year-old Perryville man is facing two felony charges after an incident in which a one-year-old he had been caring for ingested fentanyl, was unresponsive and rushed to Perry County Memorial Hospital.
On Jan. 10, officers with the Perryville Police Department were called to Perry County Memorial Hospital due to an unresponsive one-year-old child, according to a press release. Dustin Diemert was identified as the man who brought the one-year-old child in for treatment. Hospital personnel informed the responding officers that the child was suffering an overdose due to opioid ingestion and had to be administered Narcan, which is a drug often used to reverse the effects of opioid drugs.
The child was then flown to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for further treatment. In transit, another dose of Narcan was administered to revive the child.
The Prosecuting Attorney for Perry County, Caitlin M.H. Pistorio, charged Dustin Diemert with the Class B Felony of Child Endangerment and the Class D Felony of Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Detective Michelle Zahner with the Perryville Police Department conducted an interview of Diemert. Initially, he denied knowing how the child came to access the fentanyl, according to a press release. After further questioning, he admitted to going to buying fentanyl from his dealer at approximately 6:45 a.m. Jan. 10 and to using fentanyl before returning home at approximately 9:15 a.m.