Endangering suspect freed on bail

PALMER -- A woman charged with endangering the welfare of a minor -- her 15-year-old daughter -- has been released from jail on a bail arrangement that includes electronic monitoring of her whereabouts.

The woman, 37, and her husband, 40, both face endangering charges in connection with their daughter's pregnancy by a 31-year-old man. Court documents indicate the man frequently lived in the family's Wasilla-area home. The first-degree endangering charges are class B felonies with maximum penalties of 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The girl's mother later was charged with hindering prosecution after she tried to arrange for the man, who is the girl's cousin, to escape to Canada, according to charging documents. The mother went into hiding but was arrested several days later after a warrant was issued.

On Tuesday, she appeared before Superior Court Judge Eric Smith seeking release.

Defense attorney Nancy Driscoll-Stroup of Sterling and DeArmond law offices asked Smith to release her client on a property bond, with the couple offering the 2,000-square-foot home on 11 acres that they own outright as collateral.

"They have seven kids and are in dire financial straits," Discoll-Stroup said, adding that the husband has lost his job since being charged and has only a small income from odd jobs.

She said the woman has lived in the Valley since 1992 and the couple homeschools five of their children. The defendant is not a flight risk, Discoll-Stroup said.

"They have ties to the community, and they do not have the resources to leave the state," she said.

But flight is exactly what prosecutors fear, said Assistant District Attorney Rachel Gernat. She argued against a property bond, saying electronic monitoring would ensure the woman would show up for trial.

Gernat noted the hindering prosecution charge, adding, "That's the flight risk issue."

Smith imposed bail of a $10,000 unsecured bond and electronic monitoring, with the woman's adult daughter serving as third-party custodian. The defendant will be allowed to leave home for doctor appointments and to get materials needed for homeschooling.

The couple must pay costs of electronic monitoring. It costs $1,000 to enter the program with a $400 monthly fee.

Both the mother and father told investigators they approved of their daughter's relationship with the 31-year-old because the Bible said it was OK.