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From the courts: District Court

Woman gets 2 years after toddlers test positive for meth

A Havre woman whose toddlers tested positive for methamphetamine use after drugs were discovered in her room was sentenced to two years with the Department of Corrections Monday.

Cassandra M. Stidham, born in 1986, received five years with three suspended for felony endangering the welfare of children and six months to the county jail, all suspended with credit for 28 days served, for misdemeanor criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

A man called police June 19, 2016, to report he had a fight with his ex-girlfriend, Stidham.

Officers responded and talked to the man, who told them that Stidham, whom he lives and has four children with, had been using methamphetamine and cheating on him with a drug dealer.

The man said Stidham hit him in the back of the head and screamed at him while they were in the car.

The man said Stidham was doing meth because she couldn’t find any pills.

Stidham told officers the man is always trying to take her kids and denied anything happened in the vehicle. While talking to her, the officer noticed she had point pupils and had trouble standing still. She told officers she had taken prescribed pills for her legs. She gave permission to be searched and nothing was found.

Officer spoke to the couple’s 8-year-old, who pointed to a lamp stand and said, “Mommy normally hides stuff in here.”

Officers found a spoon, a light bulb with white residue and the bottom punched out. Behind the bed, the officer found a pink container with a white crystal substance.

A Child Protective Services representative tested two of the couple’s children, a 2-year-old and 1-year-old and each tested positive for meth. The CPS representative said Stidham had refused testing and the man who originally called had submitted and his test results came back negative.

 

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