Two at Hotel for Homeless Charged in Death of Baby
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A couple living at the Coachman Hotel, a trouble-plagued shelter for homeless families here that was purchased by Westchester County this year, have been charged with accidently smothering their baby while in a crack-induced stupor. The couple were arraigned Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child, but the District Attorney’s office said an investigation is continuing and homicide charges are possible. The Westchester County police said that Mary Wallace, 33, and Steven Emery Jr., 29, smoked crack on Dec. 1 and then got into bed with two of their children, a 2-year-old son and a 2-month-old infant, Nathaniel Emery. At some point Mr. Emery awoke and found that Ms. Wallace had rolled over and fallen asleep on top of the infant. He told Ms. Wallace to move off the baby, but neither checked to see if he was unharmed. The next morning about 9 A.M. the couple awoke and found Nathaniel unconscious. “The mother came running down to the desk at the hotel where two of our officers were stationed,” said Lieut. Robert Magaletti of the Westchester County police. “She was screaming that her baby wasn’t breathing.” The officers radioed for an ambulance and tried to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but the baby — who was later found to have suffered four broken ribs and a hemorrhage to his spinal cord — was pronounced dead at the White Plains Hospital Center, the police said. Troubled History The death is the latest grim incident at the Coachman, which has become a symbol of the intractability of the homeless problem, even in this well-off area. The shelter, initially meant to provide transitional housing for homeless people, has over the last decade become in effect permanent living quarters for 110 families. The hotel, which has been operating as a homeless shelter since 1984, was privately owned until last year, with the county paying $115 per room per day for rooms and children played on playgrounds littered with crack vials. When the county announced in April that it would take over the shelter, hopes were raised that the Coachman would be cleaned up. The county said that by running the hotel it would not only cut costs but also provide families with services to help them live independently, including programs to combat drug abuse. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is not yet offered on site, though the county’s Social Services Commissioner, Mary Glass, said that all services will ultimately be available within the Coachman itself. “When services are on site, I believe we can save many families,” Ms. Glass said. “We’ll never save everyone — they’ll probably always be stories like this one — but we’ll save some families, without question.” The police say that petty crimes at the hotel are still common — although two officers are stationed there, additional officers have been called to the Coachman 14 times since Oct. 13. Nathaniel Emery’s death is the most serious case they have investigated this year, Lieutenant Magaletti said. Court Date Monday Ms. Wallace and Mr. Emery are being held at the Westchester County Jail in Valhalla, in $2,500 bail each. They are to return to White Plains City Court on Monday, where they will face charges of endangering the welfare of a child, drug possession, weapons possession (the police said they found a billy club when they searched the room) and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both Mr. Emery and Ms. Wallace have lengthy criminal records, which include drug possession, harassment and assault, said Andrew Heath, an assistant district attorney. Ms. Wallace was at the time of her arrest on probation after being convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia. The 2-year-old child who was in the bed when Nathaniel was smothered, and whose name was not released, is now in the custody of the county’s Child Protective Services office. Ms. Wallace has five other children, who were in the county’s custody before this incident. “Parents who have problems with crack cocaine fairly commonly neglect their children, though thank God the results are not usually so tragic,” Mr. Heath said. “It’s an overwhelming drug, which takes a tremendous toll on a person. My experience is that when parents are on crack cocaine they have their mind on crack cocaine. It’s their highest priority. Source : query.nytimes.com |