A local woman pleaded not guilty Monday to felony child endangerment charges stemming from allegations earlier this year her two toddlers were found playing naked in the road and her 9-month-old was left alone in the yard.
Heaven Lea Edgin, 21, who lists no prior criminal history, pleaded not guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, each punishable by up to six years in prison. A hearing on the admissibility of any statements she made to Garland County sheriff's investigators is set for Jan. 13.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Aug. 9, a woman said she was waved down by the driver of another vehicle because of two naked children, ages 2 and 3, playing unsupervised in the roadway near a residence at 252 Fairwood Circle.
The woman walked toward the residence trying to find a parent and allegedly found a third child, 9 months old, lying at the base of the porch, which was approximately 3 foot in height with four steps.
She noted the baby was "in the middle of knee-high grass among tools, trash and sticker bushes." She said she knocked on the door and yelled for a parent, but no one responded so she called the sheriff's department.
Deputy Justin Parker and Cpl. Clayton Green responded to the residence and noted all three children were "covered from head to toe with dirt." They knocked on the open front door and yelled for a resident, but received no response.
Parker states they went in for "welfare purposes" and announced themselves but still got no response. Parker entered the master bedroom and found a woman, who identified herself as Edgin, on the bed. She reportedly admitted she was the mother of the three children.
The affidavit notes neighbors provided the children with pull-ups, snacks and water. When asked about formula for the baby, Edgin allegedly stated she didn't have a bottle for him. A neighbor retrieved her own bottle to give to the infant.
Upon entering the residence, Parker noted a "very strong odor of ammonia and urine" and that the interior was "filthy, hot and had no lights." He said the floors were covered in trash with dozens of cockroaches canvassing the floor, walls and countertops. There were trash bags on the floor with trash and liquid scattered about and "dirty, cockroach-covered dishes and clothing." He also noted there were loose electrical cords on the floor.
LifeNet and Department of Human Services personnel responded to check the children who were taken into custody by DHS. A report was later filed with the Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline.
Edgin was taken into custody at the residence shortly after 5:30 p.m. and was released on a $7,500 bond later that day. She pleaded not guilty to the charges in Garland County District Court on Aug. 19 and the case was bound over to circuit court on Oct. 21.
Local on 11/21/2019