Leavenworth woman convicted after children in her care got frostbite: Court docs
A Leavenworth woman has been convicted of child endangerment after police say she left two children alone in her home last winter, causing both to contract frostbite as they left and walked in the cold unsupervised.
Debbie J. Schmidt, 57, was charged in April with two counts of aggravated and reckless child endangerment for her role in the children’s injuries, according to Leavenworth County Court records.She initially pleaded guilty on Nov. 15, then changed her plea to no contest on both felony charges.
The incident took place on Jan. 16 when Schmidt is accused of leaving the two children, aged 6 and 7, alone in her Leavenworth home for several hours. As night fell, the children became scared that they had been left home alone in the dark, according to court documents.
Both children then left Schmidt’s house and walked five blocks, unsupervised, to a relative’s house, court documents read. The children were outside in temperatures below 10 degrees in snowy conditions.
By the time they reached the home of their relative, both children had frostbite on their feet, according to court documents.
““Laws regarding when it’s appropriate to leave children home alone vary from state to state,” Leavenworth County attorney Todd Thompson said in a Tuesday statement. ”But recklessly placing a child in a situation where their health is endangered is not acceptable.”
Schmidt will next appear in court at 1 p.m. Dec. 20 for a sentencing hearing.
