Document text
37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, January 9, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 7, 2005 Mom’s family says baby’s death was accident By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A mother charged with manslaughter in the drowning of her 13-month-old daughter is guilty only of falling asleep, her family said. Kayla Christine LeMaster, 22, of Grants Pass, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court to charges of second-degree manslaughter, child neglect and criminal mistreatment. LeMaster held her head in her hands and sobbed after glimpsing her family and boyfriend in the courtroom. "She’s being punished for falling asleep," said LeMaster’s aunt, Karen Holloway of Sacramento. "It was a simple accident." LeMaster’s daughter, Janayah, died on Oct. 5 after falling into a cascading water feature at Callahan’s Lodge south of Ashland. LeMaster lay down on the hotel’s lawn to rest and dozed off. When she woke up, Janayah was lying dead in the fountain. More than eight months pregnant, LeMaster had suffered a sleepless night because her car broke down en route to Grants Pass from Southern California, family said. While LeMaster slept on the lodge’s grass, her boyfriend, 30-year-old Jeremy Crozier napped in the car. He woke up to LeMaster’s screams upon finding her daughter dead. Advertisement The couple’s infant son — born Nov. 9 — was taken into protective custody at the hospital where he was born, Crozier said. LeMaster was arrested Wednesday at a Grants Pass court hearing to determine if the couple would regain custody of the boy. Crozier was set to reappear on the case today in Josephine County. Crozier said authorities have suspected the couple of using illegal drugs. However, tests came back clean, he said. LeMaster has no previous criminal record. Crozier is on probation in Josephine County for a March conviction of attempting to elude police and resisting arrest. A separate misdemeanor assault count is pending against him. Holloway and Crozier blame LeMaster’s legal situation on charges handed down in an earlier unrelated drowning of a 2-year-old boy in Sams Valley. Grand jurors indicted LeMaster on the same day they heard evidence in the unrelated Sept. 3 death of Stephen Randolph Horvath. Stephen’s mother, 25-year-old Crystal Ann DeLap, and her boyfriend, 52-year-old Steven John Hunt, face more serious charges of first-degree manslaughter committed with "extreme indifference to the value of human life." Stephen drowned in an above-ground pool that was installed without proper permits or a self-locking gate required by county codes. But both drowning cases were considered on their individual merits, said District Attorney Mark Huddleston. The toddlers’ deaths each were reviewed by the county’s child fatality review team, which recommended criminal charges. LeMaster remained in the Jackson County Jail Thursday in lieu of $50,000 bail. Also arrested Wednesday, DeLap and Hunt posted $7,500 apiece to bail out of jail. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Citibank Student Loans Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers