Published: October 26th, 2026
APPLE VALLEY, MN: Two Apple Valley parents are facing felony child endangerment charges in Dakota County after their 2-year-old daughter was found unresponsive inside an apartment in July and required multiple doses of an opioid overdose-reversal medication to recover, according to criminal complaints filed in Dakota County District Court.
Tameika Moniek Coffee and Lamar Darcell Coffee have each been charged with one felony count of child endangerment resulting in substantial harm following the July 10, 2026, incident at an apartment in the 12000 block of Germane Avenue in Apple Valley. According to court documents, responding officers found the child breathing shallowly and unresponsive to stimulation. Paramedics suspected an opioid overdose and administered multiple doses of naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, before the child began regaining consciousness.
The child was transported to a hospital, where staff provided additional treatment. Hospital testing subsequently detected fentanyl in the child's urine. Investigators later discovered several items of suspected drug paraphernalia inside the apartment, including materials that tested presumptively positive for fentanyl, according to the criminal complaints.
Officers Respond to Unresponsive Child
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on July 10th, 2026, officers with the Apple Valley Police Department responded to a reported medical emergency at the apartment. Dispatchers informed responding officers that a 2-year-old child was unresponsive but still breathing. When officers arrived, they encountered the child's parents, Tameika and Lamar Coffee, along with four other children inside the residence.
Officers located the 2-year-old lying on the living room floor next to a bed. According to the complaints, there was pink-colored spit-up around the child, who was breathing shallowly but did not respond to attempts to stimulate her. Both parents told investigators they had discovered their daughter unresponsive on the bed approximately 10 to 25 minutes earlier and had attempted to wake her. Tameika Coffee told officers she had administered a small amount of Narcan, which she described as less than one milliliter, before emergency responders arrived.
Paramedics with Allina suspected the child was experiencing an opioid overdose and administered multiple doses of naloxone. According to the complaints, the child began to regain consciousness following the medication.
Hospital Testing Detects Fentanyl
Following the emergency response, the child was transported to a hospital for additional medical evaluation and treatment. Court documents state that the child received a four-milligram dose of naloxone at the hospital and recovered. Hospital urine testing detected fentanyl at a reported concentration of 13 nanograms per milliliter.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can cause life-threatening respiratory depression, particularly in young children. Naloxone works by reversing the effects of opioids and can restore breathing in someone experiencing an opioid overdose.
The child's unresponsiveness, shallow breathing, response to naloxone, and positive fentanyl test formed part of the evidence described in the criminal complaints. Although the complaints document the child's recovery following medical treatment, they do not provide additional information about her longer-term medical condition or whether she experienced any lasting health complications. The documents also do not establish precisely how the child came into contact with fentanyl.
Parents Provide Differing Accounts of Drug Use
During the investigation, both parents provided statements to Apple Valley police regarding potential drug use and the presence of controlled substances inside the apartment. According to the complaints, Tameika Coffee acknowledged that she and Lamar Coffee used fentanyl.
She told investigators that fentanyl and Narcan were kept inside the residence but maintained that the substances were secured and that drug use occurred only in the garage. Tameika Coffee also acknowledged keeping fentanyl inside a pink purse. She reportedly told investigators that it was possible the child had touched something inside the residence containing fentanyl. According to the complaints, Tameika Coffee said she controlled access to the fentanyl because Lamar Coffee had previously experienced an overdose.
Lamar Coffee provided a different account regarding his recent drug use. He told investigators he had been clean and sober since suffering a fentanyl overdose in May 2026. He also denied having drugs or drug paraphernalia inside the residence.
The criminal complaints do not indicate that investigators conclusively determined which parent possessed or handled the fentanyl responsible for the child's suspected exposure.
Investigators Discover Suspected Fentanyl Residue Throughout Apartment
During their investigation, officers discovered evidence of suspected drug use in multiple locations inside the residence. According to court documents, investigators located drug-related materials inside Tameika Coffee's pink purse and elsewhere throughout the apartment. Recovered items included burned aluminum foil, a mirror with white residue, and straws. Investigators also discovered drug paraphernalia inside a garbage can near the bathroom.
The complaints specifically note that several of the items were located in areas that were not locked or otherwise secured, contradicting Tameika Coffee's statement that fentanyl and related materials were kept locked away. The Dakota County Drug Task Force conducted preliminary testing on several items recovered from the apartment.
According to the complaints, all of the following items yielded presumptive positive results for fentanyl:
One mirror
Two straws
Two containers
Three pieces of burned aluminum foil
The complaints state that confirmatory testing by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was pending when the documents were prepared. The preliminary findings, combined with the child's medical condition and statements provided by the parents, were cited as evidence supporting the felony child endangerment allegations. The documents do not specify whether any of the other four children inside the residence were exposed to fentanyl or required medical treatment.
Both Parents Charged With Felony Child Endangerment
Tameika Coffee and Lamar Coffee are each charged with one count of felony child endangerment involving substantial harm under Minnesota Statute 609.378, subdivision 1(b)(1). The statute covers situations in which a parent, legal guardian, or caretaker intentionally or recklessly causes or permits a child to be placed in circumstances that result in substantial harm to the child's physical, mental, or emotional health.
Prosecutors allege that the circumstances inside the apartment placed the 2-year-old child in danger and resulted in substantial harm. Each parent faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
The criminal complaints do not allege that either parent intentionally administered fentanyl to the child. Rather, the charges concern the alleged endangerment resulting from the circumstances in which the child was placed. A conviction would require prosecutors to prove the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Court Orders Release Conditions for Both Defendants
Additional court records provide information about the defendants' pretrial release conditions.
Lamar Darcell Coffee
According to a bail recommendation from the Dakota County Attorney's Office dated September 16th and filed September 22nd, prosecutors requested $25,000 bail without conditions or release on personal recognizance subject to several conditions. Those proposed conditions included participation in a pretrial release program, abstaining from alcohol and controlled substances, submitting to random chemical testing, complying with any Child Protective Services safety plan, remaining law-abiding, and attending all future court appearances.
Lamar Coffee’s next court date is set for October 27, 2026, at 9 AM, and is said to be his first appearance.
Tameika Moniek Coffee
A separate release order filed October 20th in Tameika Coffee's case establishes a $25,000 bail or bond option without conditions, or release with conditions without a monetary payment. Under the court's order, Tameika Coffee must remain law-abiding, attend future court hearings, complete booking requirements, and keep the court informed of her current address.
The order also prohibits alcohol and controlled substance use, except for prescribed medications, and requires random chemical testing. She must participate in the pretrial release program if eligible and comply with any safety planning established by Child Protective Services. The court order warns that violating release conditions could result in arrest, forfeiture of bail or bond, additional criminal charges, or contempt of court proceedings.
Tameika Coffee's next scheduled court appearance is an omnibus hearing at 9 a.m. on December 16, 2026, at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings.
Investigation Raises Questions About Access to Dangerous Drugs
The criminal complaints describe a medical emergency involving a young child, evidence of fentanyl inside the family residence, and statements from the parents regarding how controlled substances were stored and used. While Tameika Coffee told investigators that fentanyl was secured, officers reported discovering multiple items associated with drug use in unsecured locations throughout the apartment. Investigators also documented the presence of four additional children when officers arrived.
The complaints do not provide information about any subsequent Child Protective Services actions, custody arrangements, or the children's current living circumstances. The precise manner of the 2-year-old's fentanyl exposure also remains undetermined in the supplied court records.
Both parents are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Written by: Will Wight
