Ethan woman facing 55 years in prison for child abuse pleads not guilty
Jun. 24—An Ethan woman who was charged with three counts of cruelty to a minor under the age of 7 and one count of child abuse pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Laycee Drapeau, aka Laycee St. John, 30, of Ethan, pleaded not guilty to three counts of cruelty to a minor under the age of 7 and one count of child abuse, which allegedly occurred May 1 to May 24. She could face up to a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison if found guilty on all of the charges she's facing.
According to the affidavit, St. John neglected her four children under the age of 7, leaving them unattended multiple times and exposing the children to "deplorable, unhealthy, and unsafe" living conditions in an "extremely unkept home."
The affidavit says the unkept home that the children were residing in during the neglect was full of human feces, garbage, rotten food and cockroaches. When authorities located the children, they were suffering with "untreated lice," which caused open sores on their head.
In addition, the children were suffering from infected sores on their bodies and other medical issues that were untreated, according to court documents.
A plumber who was called to do work on the home that the children were residing in at the time of the neglect contacted authorities on May 24, after noticing the poor condition the children were in.
St. John will face a jury trial on Oct. 18 unless a plea is made before then. She has several other charges pending related to child abuse. St. John faces a maximum of 55 years in prison. Judge Chris Giles set a $7,000 cash bond for St. John, along with allowing supervised contact with the victims in the incident as long as it is approved by the Department of Social Services.
