City man convicted in child’s meth OD

HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona man convicted Wednesday of failing to keep a toddler from ingesting methamphetamine is facing four to five years in jail, based on state sentencing guidelines for a first-degree felony conviction of endangering the welfare of a child.

Kenneth Lee Lampenfeld, 31, rested his head on his hand and shook his head "no" as Blair County Judge Jackie Bernard thanked the jurors for giving up their time to hear the two-day criminal case and render verdicts.

A few minutes after the jury left the courtroom, Bernard revoked Lampenfeld's bail and directed sheriff deputies to escort him to the county prison.

Defense attorney Robert Donaldson, who immediately launched a protest on Lampenfeld's behalf, reminded Bernard that his client has regularly reported to court for all proceedings during the year he has been free on unsecured bail.

Bernard countered that Lampenfeld now stands convicted of a felony and faces a sentence of more than three years in prison. She also deemed him unlikely to remain in compliance with bail conditions and a danger to others.

In drawing from trial testimony, the judge referenced Lampenfeld's behavior at UPMC Altoona Hospital on Sept. 23, 2023, where he became angry and confrontational after hearing that his then-girlfriend's 15-month-old toddler tested positive for meth.

The judge told Lampenfeld that in light of the child's hospitalization and potential risks, he could have — but didn't — tell medical personnel what was going on.

"That seems like pretty dangerous behavior to me," Bernard said in support of her decision to revoke Lampenfeld's bail.

Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays also recommended the bail revocation in light of Lampenfeld's prior criminal history, which includes convictions for thefts, fleeing police, providing false ID to law enforcement and failure to appear in court.

Donaldson said outside court that he was surprised by the jury's guilty verdict on endangering the welfare of a child because it requires a conclusion that there was a course of conduct and that his client was responsible for the child's care.

"They had such a short relationship," Donaldson said.

Trial testimony indicated that in mid-to-late August 2023, the child and her mother, Sarah Ann Sibold, moved into Lampenfeld's residence on the 300 block of 14th Street. Cellphone text messages and photos, collected by Altoona police, showed the couple were romantically involved and that the toddler was referring to Lampenfeld as "Da-Da."

On Sept. 23, 2023, both Lampenfeld and Sibold took the toddler to the hospital after the child had a seizure in the living room. At the hospital, it was Sibold — after learning that the child tested positive for meth — who revealed that she and Lampenfeld used meth and that Lampenfeld regularly left plates with meth residue on the coffee table in the living room where the toddler played with her toys.

When Altoona police searched Lampenfeld residence, they found a leaf-shaped plate with meth residue under papers on the living room coffee table.

In his closing argument, Mays told the jury that the toddler's mother also faces criminal charges, but their task was to decide if Lampenfeld was guilty of engaging in a course of conduct to meet the definition of endangering the welfare of a child.

In his closing, Mays pointed out that Sept. 23, 2023, was the day the child was poisoned by meth.

"But (the child) was repeatedly exposed to that risk every day," Mays said.

In support of that statement, he showed the jury an undated picture taken from Lampenfeld's cellphone, showing what was suggested to be a line of meth on the living room coffee table.

Outside court, Mays said the child did recover from the meth exposure.

Donaldson, who said he will be examining the case for appeal issues, tried to influence the jury's verdicts by admitting that his client had engaged in bad behavior.

"But bad behavior isn't a crime," Donaldson argued.

In addition to the felony offense, the jury also convicted Lampenfeld of a second-degree misdemeanor of recklessly endangering another person.

Bernard set Lampenfeld's sentencing for Jan. 7 and ordered attorneys to submit sentencing memorandums by Dec. 15.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 914-946-7456.