KEWAUNEE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A mom who allegedly left a 7-month-old child alone in a bathtub for several minutes before the baby drowned pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Cheyanne Wierichs, 23, is charged with neglecting a child-consequence is death for the Feb. 9 incident at an Algoma residence.
Wierichs waived her preliminary hearing before the arraignment was held. No trial was set. She returns to court June 24.
Also Thursday, a judge approving her bond from a $5,000 cash bond to a signature bond. Upon her release, she will be taken an addiction treatment facility. The cash bond would be reinstated after completion of her treatment, said Judge Keith Mehn.
According to the complaint, Wierichs said her son found the baby drowning in the tub.
“She admitted to watching Youtube while the children bathed for several minutes. Ms. Wierichs also admitted to leaving the bathroom to connect her phone to a Bluetooth speaker, and then listening to a song in its entirety before hearing splashing. It was estimated that several minutes would have passed from the time Ms. Wierichs left the bathroom to when she returned,” the complaint states.
There was not a baby seat or baby tub in the bathtub, according to the complaint.
If convicted of the child neglect charge, Wierichs faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
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