A judge reduced bail Friday for a licensed practical nurse accused of assaulting a disabled child in her care, but refused to release Dianne Camille Laurier on her own recognizance.
Bail was reduced to $75,000 from $250,000 in the case of the 49-year-old Arlington woman, who was caught on videotape hitting the disabled girl and rubbing a soiled diaper in her face, court documents say.
Laurier is charged with three counts of second-degree assault of a child for her actions while giving 24-hour care to a 5-year-old Lynnwood girl who has severe brain damage and is unable to tend to most of her basic needs.
Laurier’s new lawyer, John Muenster of Seattle, appeared before Judge Ronald Castleberry asking for release without bail. Muenster said she was willing to wear an electronic home monitor while living at the Everett home of two of her adult daughters. The electronic monitor would alert jail staff if she were not where she was supposed to be.
Her family assured the court Laurier would appear in court, Muenster said.
This is the first time Laurier has been accused of something like this, and she has "very strong support from her family," Muenster said. "They are vouching to make sure she makes all her court appearances."
He said the defendant’s four daughters and a sister were in court to support her.
Deputy prosecutor Kathy Jo Kristof responded, "Ms. Laurier has demonstrated she doesn’t show up in court." She told the judge Laurier has a series of offenses dating back to 1987 that include drunken driving, minor thefts and possession of stolen property. Over that time, Laurier has failed to show up for court 18 times, Kristof said.
With the current assault charges, Laurier could face five or more years in prison if convicted, Kristof said. Moreover, Kristof told Castleberry that two other judges reviewed the case and maintained high bail.
Although Castleberry lowered bail, he established severe conditions if the woman is released. Among them, she would have to live with her daughters and be subject to electronic monitoring. She’s also not to have contact with minor children.
The defendant worked for a care service and was assigned to work three shifts a week helping with the disabled girl’s care. The family of the girl won a $13 million out-of-court settlement in 2002 with Stevens Memorial Hospital in Edmonds for problems surrounding her birth.
The alleged abuse was discovered after the girl’s grandmother suspected some things were missing from her house and had a video surveillance system installed, documents say. The abuse was caught on tape.
Prosecutors said the tape shows Laurier hitting the girl on the head or face at least 10 times on Oct. 8. Also on that date, the tape shows her pulling the girl’s hair and roughly suctioning her breathing passage, documents say.
Dozens of hits and hair pulls were recorded Oct. 11 and 12, and the girl’s head was covered with a towel or other items five times, the documents say. It was during that shift that the dirty diaper allegedly was rubbed in the girl’s face, documents say.
Similar activities were recorded on Oct. 15, the prosecutors say.
Laurier’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 30, but a new attorney may mean it will be postponed, Kristof said.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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