MCSHERRYSTOWN, Pa. — State Police have charged an Adams County man in connection to the death of a 5-month-old child.
Nicholas Despines, 36, of McSherrystown, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child after an investigation of the baby's death in February, according to a criminal complaint filed by State Police on June 24.
Police began investigating when Despines alerted authorities shortly after midnight on Feb. 22, reporting that the victim's mother was taking the baby to the hospital after they discovered he wasn't breathing.
The baby was pronounced dead at 2:40 a.m., according to the complaint.
Two troopers who were at the hospital for an unrelated incident observed Despines and noted he was exhibiting signs of recent drug use, including dilated pupils with no reaction to light, a sunken face and scabbing on his arms, the complaint states.
In an interview with police, Despines said he and the baby were sleeping on a couch in the living room. The baby woke twice over the course of the night, he reported.
Despines said he woke up when the child's mother returned home from work. He reported feeling "kind of out of it." The victim's mother immediately went to the baby when she noted he wasn't breathing and took him to the hospital.
In a later interview with police, the victim's mother reported that when she returned home from work she saw Despines sleeping on the couch with the baby and their other child. The baby was lying facedown on a pillow and was unresponsive, she reported.
Police obtained a warrant for a blood draw on Despines, and it was later discovered he had traces of drugs, including cocaine, fentanyl and methadone, in his system.
An autopsy determined the victim died of sudden infant death while bed-sharing, police said. Medical authorities said lying face down on a pillow and bed-sharing with others are considered unsafe sleeping environments.
Police said Despines arranged for a second interview with police on June 8, but never showed up.
