Bail is reduced in son’s death

Published 10:22 am Friday, June 29, 2007

EVERETT – A young mother who is charged with manslaughter in the still-unexplained June 18 death of her 4-month-old son may soon be getting out from behind bars.

Bail was reduced Thursday for Bonnie Desmond, 19, of Lake Stevens.

She had been jailed with her bail set at $500,000. Everett District Court Judge Tam Bui on Thursday reduced bail to $150,000 after a hearing where she was told that investigators don’t know why the boy died.

Noah James Petersen was found dead in his crib. Desmond was arrested after she told detectives that she had used couple strips of Scotch tape to hold a pacifier in her son’s mouth because it helped him sleep.

The autopsy has not yet been completed, Everett defense attorney Karen Halverson told the judge.

“We still don’t know what the cause of death is. The cause of death is speculative only,” Halverson said.

She said Desmond is a lifelong resident of Snohomish County and has no intention of leaving in the face of a first-degree manslaughter charge. She asked that Desmond be freed on her own recognizance.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson told the judge that $500,000 was sought shortly after Desmond’s arrest at a time when investigators were uncertain about her ties to the community. He asked that $250,000 bail be maintained “given the severity of what did occur.”

Desmond’s family and friends packed the courtroom Thursday. They’ve argued the young woman should be allowed to grieve the loss of her son somewhere other than jail. They were working to secure bail for the young woman Thursday and her release is likely soon, Halverson said.

Desmond told police she used tape to hold a pacifier in the infant’s mouth before putting him down to sleep and also gave the baby a taste of peanut butter earlier that day.

Most pediatricians recommend waiting until children are about 2 years old before feeding them peanut butter.

Halverson told the judge Thursday that her research has shown the jury is out on whether children should sleep with pacifiers. The idea of securing a pacifier in a child’s mouth also is not novel, she said, and somebody actually holds a patent on a pacifier-holding system.

Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.