Day Care Provider Smoked Meth, Sold Marijuana, Police Say

An in-home day care provider near St. Charles is accused of smoking methamphetamine as two children slept in her home. She also is accused of selling marijuana.

Brooke A. Mitchell, 29, of the 1200 block of Parody Lane in St. Charles County, was charged Sept. 4 with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.

A St. Charles County Sheriff’s deputy reported that he responded to a disturbance at Mitchell’s home July 20. The deputy said he discovered Mitchell and Joshua Pilger, of O’Fallon, had been smoking meth while two small children slept in her home.

According to court documents, Mitchell was supposed to help a detective in a narcotics investigation, but did not cooperate.

The deputy said on Sept. 3, he went back to Mitchell’s house, and she handed him a large plastic bag with 18 individually wrapped bags of marijuana and cash.

Mitchell told the officer the marijuana belonged to Pilger, who was in another room in the home. The deputy said Pilger had been told of his presence, and jumped out a second-story bedroom window and escaped.

At the time, Mitchell was running an in-home day care and five children were in her home.

The deputy said the 18 bags of marijuana contained more than 5 grams of marijuana and were packaged for sale.

Pilger is on parole after being released from prison. He was serving a 7-year sentence after pleading guilty to two 2010 burglaries in O'Fallon.

Bail for Mitchell was set at $25,000.