$250K Bail For Glenville Woman Charged With Infant Son’s Death
Austin, MN (KROC-AM News) - Conditional bail was set at $250,000 today for a Freeborn County woman accused of causing the death of her infant son.
25-year-old Jocelyn Pater of Glenville was formally arraigned in Mower County Court today on second-degree manslaughter, felony child endangerment, and 2 drug charges in connection with the suffocation death of the two-year-old child late last year. It is alleged she was under the influence of methamphetamine when she fell asleep on top of the baby on a couch inside an Austin home on December 13th.
Austin police were called to the residence around 6:20 that evening and found the unresponsive infant on the floor in the middle of the living room with no pulse. Lifesaving efforts were administered at the scene and the baby was later airlifted to Rochester, but he died from his injuries several days later. According to the criminal complaint, an autopsy determined the cause of death was "asphyxia due to overlay while co-sleeping with an adult."
The court documents also state that the infant had tested positive for narcotics while in the hospital and toxicology tests conducted during the autopsy found methamphetamine, but it's unclear if the presence of the drug contributed to the baby's death.
The charges also indicate a search warrant was executed at the Austin home where the incident occurred. It resulted in the discovery of a small amount of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and several needles in Pater's bedroom, where the drugs and a meth pipe were found near a bottle nipple and some baby bottles. The criminal complaint says the bottle nipple later tested positive for methamphetamine.
The criminal complaint also says Pater initially denied any drug use, but after being confronted with the evidence, she admitted she had been using meth on a daily basis for several weeks prior to the infant's death. She also has a previous drug conviction in Freeborn County.
Pater's next court appearance is scheduled for June 23.