A Bismarck woman has pleaded not guilty to a child abuse charge related to an allegation a child wandered away from her home. Bonnie Maddock, 31, entered the not guilty plea to South Central District Judge Cynthia Feland at the Burleigh County Courthouse. Feland found there was probable cause for the charge following a short preliminary hearing. Maddock also pleaded not guilty to Class B misdemeanor unlawfully providing early childhood services. Bismarck Police Officer Arial Thompson testified she was called to a south Bismarck address on at about 8:30 a.m. where a woman had brought a 4-year-old boy she found walking alone at the intersection of North Third Street and Rosser Avenue. The boy said he had been with his father. Thompson said she tracked down the mother and father of the boy at about 10:30 a.m., and the mother said the boy was supposed to be at Maddock’s home. The mother said she had intended to pick the boy up at 7 a.m. but was going to be late and had tried to call and text Maddock about her change of plans. Maddock had not responded until texting the mother while Thompson spoke to her, the officer testified. The mother confirmed the father had been with her all morning, and the boy had not been with the father, Thompson said. She said Maddock told officers who went to her home that she had seen the boy at 7 a.m. but not since then. Maddock told them she cares for up to five children at once by herself, which is allowed under North Dakota law. She said if there are more children than that, she has other people help her. Thompson said Burleigh County Social Services later informed her that Maddock did not have a license to provide for more than six children. Maddock’s attorney, Ryan Heintz, argued that there was not probable cause for the child abuse charge since the 4-year-old boy had reported he had been with his father, not at Maddock’s home. Feland ruled that the length of time the child was gone from Maddock’s home before she contacted the mother was enough evidence to meet the burden for probable cause. Maddock’s next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18. ~DD~
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 09:08:43 +0000
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