Bellingham woman accused of endangering an infant in freezing temperatures
A Bellingham woman is facing child endangerment charges after she allegedly exposed the infant to potential hypothermia and was too intoxicated to care for the child.
Kaitlyn Leigh Merkle, 23, was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer and one count of second-degree criminal mistreatment (domestic violence) Thursday, Dec. 1, in Whatcom County Superior Court. All but the obstruction charge are felonies, according to court records.
Merkle was released from the Whatcom County Jail on Dec. 1 in lieu of $200 cash bail, according to jail records.
Around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 30, Bellingham police responded to the report of an intoxicated woman who had walked away from a residence in the 3800 block of Northwest Avenue with an unclothed infant, the court records state.
Merkle had allegedly been taken to the Northwest Avenue residence, where a family member resides, after she was too intoxicated to care for her 9-month-old child while she was at a nearby hotel, according to court records. Merkle left the residence after she and the family member got into a dispute, the records state. A person who called 911, told dispatchers that they believed the child wasn’t wearing clothes, the records show.
A Bellingham police officer found Merkle walking along Northwest Avenue near the roundabout to northbound Interstate 5 with a baby stroller covered by a blanket. Merkle allegedly had difficulty maintaining balance, slurred her speech and was not making sense when the officer approached her, the court records state.
Merkle allegedly attempted to leave with the child, but was stopped by police who grabbed her wrists and eventually took her to the ground while arresting her, court records show. Merkle allegedly kneed one of the officers and later spit into his mouth, according to court records and Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
The child was found in the stroller wearing only a dirty diaper, court records state.
The infant was taken to the police station, where several officers who bought supplies and clothes helped to clean, clothe, feed and care for the child until child protective services arrived. The infant was ultimately taken into protective custody, Murphy said.
The temperature at Bellingham International Airport around the time of Merkle’s arrest was hovering between 30 and 32 degrees, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Charging documents state that Merkle “had created an imminent and substantial risk of death or great bodily harm by allowing her infant child to be out in freezing weather with woefully inadequate clothing,” according to court records.
She has no previous felony history, according to court records.
This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
