An Athens man and woman have been charged in the death of an infant.
At the Wednesday arraignment of Christina L. Hazlett, 23, Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said Hazlett’s three-month-old child died in her care after being shaken by Jerry Andresen. Hazlett has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment, and Andresen has been charged with child endangerment, according to court records.
Blackburn said Hazlett is accountable for the death because she didn’t seek medical care for the child after Andresen allegedly injured it. When police were called to her residence for a domestic dispute, Hazlett did not cooperate or report her child’s injuries, he said. The child died March 12.
A coroner’s report showed the child had week-old broken bones, Blackburn said.
“But for the actions of the mother, the child would have lived,” Blackburn said.
Involuntary manslaughter is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 11 years in prison with a maximum fine of $20,000. Child endangerment is a third degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison with a maximum fine of $10,000.
According to a news release from Blackburn, the prosecutor’s office is searching for Catrina Tolley, a “key witness” in the case. There is a warrant out for her arrest. She called the prosecutor’s office Tuesday and scheduled a meeting set for Monday morning, but did not appear and did not respond to phone calls, according to the news release.
“If you are assisting in harboring Tolley, you are subject to a filing of criminal charges,” Keller wrote in the news release.
