PORT TOWNSEND — Clarissa Yvette Lawrence, 34, is facing manslaughter charges in the death of her 8-month-old son after police say she neglected him.
The child was pronounced dead on the evening of Dec. 25, 2008, at Jefferson Healthcare hospital after being transferred from the family’s residence at the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault temporary housing in Jefferson County, where Lawrence and neighbors discovered the child unconscious in his crib.
Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green said Lawrence was arrested last week after months of investigation.
“Officers have been investigating this since the beginning,” Green said.
“The determination was that the woman was using quite a few prescription medications at the time and was neglecting the child.”
Lawrence will be arraigned in Jefferson County Superior Court at 8:30 a.m. Friday. If she is charged with manslaughter in the second degree, Lawrence will face a Class B felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
She remains in the Jefferson County jail on $50,000 bail.
She appeared in court last Friday for an initial appearance where she was assigned a public defender.
The police report filed in Jefferson County Superior Court said Lawrence was using multiple medications, failed to take her son to a physician despite obvious breathing problems and slept for long periods of time without taking care of her child.
On the day that she discovered her son unresponsive in the crib, Lawrence told police she had slept for more than 17 hours and was taking pain medication for migraine headaches.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com
