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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, May 5, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2002 Mom faces charges in fire that killed child By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune The mother of a 3-year-old who died in an Ashland apartment fire earlier this year was arrested Friday. A Jackson County grand jury indicted Michelle Lea Wimberly on charges of manslaughter and assault in connection with the fire that killed her daughter, Ashley Nicole Day, and injured 16-month-old Kimberly Ann Day. Wimberly was lodged in the Jackson County Jail on $500,000 bail. Wimberly had placed a lighted stick of incense on a shelf in the girls’ room on the morning of Feb. 7, said Ashland fire Chief Keith Woodley. The smoldering stick either fell from the shelf onto fabric or touched something flammable, igniting the blaze, Woodley said. The door to the girls’ room was shut when the fire broke out, investigators said. Wimberly was asleep in another room at the time, said Ashland police Detective Brent Jensen. There was no evidence that either of the children touched the incense stick, he said. When firefighters arrived at the apartment complex on Terra Avenue around 7:15 a.m., Wimberly was outside cradling Kimberly in her arms, said Ashland fire Capt. Bob Cockell. Ashley was still inside the apartment, he added. Ashley was pronounced dead that day at Rogue Valley Medical Center. Kimberly was hospitalized with serious injuries and released three days later. She has since fully recovered, Jensen said. The apartment — rented to Wimberly’s boyfriend — had smoke alarms, but the batteries had been removed. Jensen said it’s not clear who removed them. Because the door to the girls’ room was closed, and the windows didn’t break, the oxygen-starved blaze burned itself out before crews arrived, Woodley said. Police initially had said there didn’t appear to be any crime involved. The indictment charges Wimberly with the responsibility for the child’s death. Wimberly was arrested in August this year on charges of possession of methamphetamine and providing false information to a police officer. She pleaded not guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to those charges. Jensen would not comment on whether drug use played a role in the fire. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Advertisement s