Grandma Indicted In Death Of Toddler Left In Burning Vehicle (WTF?)
Grandma Indicted In Death Of Toddler Left In Burning Vehicle
POSTED: 8:44 am EST December 1, 2004
UPDATED: 11:59 am EST December 1, 2004
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. -- A woman who left her 22-month-old grandson inside a burning vehicle after it ran off the road last year was indicted Tuesday on aggravated manslaughter and child endangerment charges.
Burlington County prosecutors said Pamela Dreadin, 43, of Mount Laurel was driving a Ford Bronco truck in a rural section of Eastampton Township shortly before 3 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2003, when the vehicle became stuck after she tried to make a turn. After Dreadin tried several times to free the vehicle, a fire started in the engine compartment.
Dreadin left the truck and went to a nearby house to call for help but did not mention that her grandson, Michael Malinowski Jr., was in the vehicle until 10 minutes later when a police officer arrived, authorities said.
By the time rescue crews arrived, flames had engulfed the vehicle, killing the child.
Dreadin, who initially was charged only with child endangerment, remains free on $5,000 bail. She could face up to 30 years in state prison if convicted on both charges.
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