Woman charged with child endangerment

Kailana Redwood, 21, of Polson, pleaded not guilty to the charge of Criminal Child Endangerment, a felony, during her appearance in District Court last Wednesday. Judge Molly Owen set an omnibus hearing for June 7; a pre-trial conference is slated for Sept. 12, and a jury trial for Oct. 16.

The maximum possible punishment for Criminal Child Endangerment is 10 years in the state prison and a $50,000 fine.

According to court records, Redwood was charged after an incident on March 18, 2021, at 9:39 p.m. A Tribal Law Enforcement officer observed a Chevy Suburban traveling south on Hwy. 93 in Lake County. Since the Suburban’s passenger-side tail light was out, the officer stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Redwood, who was then under 21 years old.

Redwood’s two-month-old child was in the back seat of the Suburban. The officer could smell alcohol on Redwood, and she showed signs of intoxication on the field sobriety tests. She was over the legal limit for a person her age in the preliminary breath test when she blew a .042 BAC on the Intoxilyzer test; the legal limit for a person under the age of 21 is .02 BAC.

The case had been moving through the court since her arrest, due to Redwood’s initial failure to appear and a warrant being issued and served.