St. Peters Man Charged After Toddler Overdoses on Fentanyl

ST. LOUIS - A man from St. Peters, Missouri was charged with drug and gun crimes Wednesday after a toddler overdosed on fentanyl.

Kevin Lamar Knowles, 50, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court Thursday.

An affidavit filed in support of the complaint says that first responders called to the family's St. Peters home at about 4:30 p.m. on June 16 discovered a 12-month-old suffering from an apparent fentanyl overdose. They administered Narcan and took the boy to the hospital. When Knowles brought the victim's twin brother to the hospital, staff determined that he had also been exposed to fentanyl, xylazine and tramadol, the affidavit says. St. Peters police then found an assault rifle, a pistol and bulk cash in the home and about 1.5 pounds of raw fentanyl in the trunk of a car in the driveway, the affidavit says. Knowles is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms.

Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

"I applaud the quick thinking and professionalism of law enforcement and the health care workers who administered care for the children, and we hope the health of the children continues to improve," said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. "This case is more proof that fentanyl is poison and should be treated as such."

"This case is a stark reminder that fentanyl continues to pose a serious threat to the community, particularly to our young people and children," said Chief Andrew Ramirez of the St. Peters Police Department. "The swift actions of the St. Charles County Ambulance District, combined with the outstanding work of our patrol officers and detectives, helped save lives and led to the seizure of a significant quantity of fentanyl. This case also demonstrates the value of our strong and continuing partnership with the DEA and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Our commitment to protecting the community and pursuing those who traffic deadly drugs remains unwavering."

"Two young children came into contact with a substance that no individual young or old should be around, let alone ingest," Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey said. "Fentanyl, even amounts small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, can be life threatening. We're grateful for the work of those who performed life saving measures on these children. It's imperative that we raise awareness and continue having conversations in our communities about the lethality of this drug. These efforts, combined with the work of our agents and law enforcement partners are necessary to prevent another life from being lost to this terrible poison."

The St. Peters Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case.