Two Mills Women Charged With Child Abuse/Endangerment, Drug Crimes
Two Mills women accused of physically abusing two children heard charges against them on Wednesday that could result in them spending decades behind bars .
Lisa Canady, 26, and Alexandra Reardon, 22, made their initial appearances before Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen.
Each woman was charged with two felony counts of child abuse, each count punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment; two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment, each count punishable by up to one year in jail; and two counts of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance to a minor, with each count punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.
Reardon also was charged with one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Blonigen recommended, and Christensen agreed to set each of their bonds at $10,000 cash or surety. Neither is to have any contact with the alleged victims except as allowed by the Wyoming Department of Family Services.
Neither Canady nor Reardon had attorneys, so Christensen appointed them public defenders.
Blonigen said that Canady, who was from Pennsylvania, was charged four years ago with drug possession and child endangerment.
Mills Police Cpl. Kate Acord said Wednesday the police intentionally did not mention the genders of the children to help protect their identities.
However, the affidavit of probable cause said the alleged victims are girls.
Acord also declined to say whether the children are directly related to either Canady or Reardon, but they are members of the same household.
The case started Monday when someone at Crest Hill Elementary in Casper noticed bruising on the child, Acord said.
The child added a younger sibling had also been subjected to the same treatment.
Investigators, including the Wyoming Department of Family Services, also learned that the children had been bound with duct tape because they would not take naps and were forced to ingest marijuana the previous two weekends to induce them to sleep, she said.
The affidavit of probable cause said one of te girls was able to maturely discuss how she would get a canister containing marijuana, and that she had smoked and used marijuana at the direction of the women.
Canady and Reardon were arrested at a home on Kelly Street in Mills. Neither resisted arrest, Acord said.
The case is not over because authorities need to conduct some more interviews, she said. "It is very much ongoing."
There are no other potential suspects at this time, she said.
The children are under the care and custody of the Department of Family Services, Acord said.