EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – An Eau Claire man was released on his own recognizance to await further court proceedings on charges of being drugged-up and driving with a child aboard. Judge John Manydeeds told Beau J. Peterson to stay sober and appear back in court July 1. Peterson, who lives in a halfway house, was arrested May 3. According to the criminal complaint, this is what happened: Passersby saw a man slumped over the steering wheel of a Mitsubishi Outlander backed up next to a business The man did not wake up when they tried to get his attention. When police arrived, the man’s foot was on the gas pedal, the engine revving wildly. Police roused the man, who at first was disoriented but then scrambled frantically to conceal items in the car. With his Taser drawn, one officer found two hypodermic needles, a gem bag, a small tin with residue inside, and a vial with a smidgen of clear liquid. In the backseat they found a 6-month-old infant, apparently oblivious to what was going on. Among charges filed Monday:
> Endangering a child’s safety,
> Child neglect.
> Attempted possession of narcotics.
> Operating with a restricted controlled substance in his bloodstream with a minor in the vehicle.
> Drug paraphernalia possession.
At the scene, Peterson denied using drugs. Later at a hospital he admitted to suboxone, an opioid for treating addiction. Peterson also admitted that he injected heroin earlier in the day. Peterson said a friend in his car had injected him with the anti-overdose drug Narcan. The friend, he said, had fled by the time bystanders arrived. Meanwhile, police entrusted the child to a social worker. A hair sample from the infant tested negative for exposure to drugs. For Peterson, tests came back positive for meth, cocaine, marijuana and opiates.
Peterson. Free on signature bond.