Statement of the Attorney General's Office: Charge is filed in the death of Tanner Wilson

A statement of the Iowa Attorney General's Office:

The State today charged Lori Ann Ingham of Swaledale, Iowa, with one count of Child Endangerment, a Class C Felony. The charge stems from the death of eleven-year-old Tanner Wilson on February 9, 2001, while he was in the custody of Gerard of Iowa, a residential treatment center for children that is located in Mason City.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office, which has been asked to handle the case, filed a trial information Friday in Cerro Gordo County District Court. The trial information alleges that the defendant violated Iowa Code Chapter 726.6 in that the defendant committed a child endangerment that resulted in serious injury to Tanner Wilson.

A warrant was issued. However, the defendant will be allowed to turn herself in to law enforcement within a prescribed amount of time to post bond and make her initial appearance. An arraignment date will be set at the initial appearance. Ingham is age 35 (born Sept. 19, 1965.)

Class C child endangerment is a forcible felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000.

The matter was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, the State Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Attorney General's Office.

After careful review of all the facts gathered during the investigation, the Attorney General's Office determined that no charges will be filed against Jeremy Witt.

The matter was referred to the Attorney General's Office by Cerro Gordo County Attorney Paul Martin, whose office handles a number of cases involving juveniles that are placed at Gerard of Iowa. In order to avoid the potential for a conflict of interest, Martin asked the Attorney General's Office to serve in the role of prosecutor.

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