A south Arkansas mother of three is accused of abusing prescription drugs and putting her children at risk, behavior that police said led to the death of her 3-year-old daughter inside a washing machine last year.
Brooke Haney, 25, of Hampton was arrested July 5 on two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor stemming from incidents Aug. 21 and Oct. 25, according to documents filed this week in Calhoun County Circuit Court.
If convicted, each class D felony count carries a maximum penalty of up to six years in the Arkansas Department of Correction and a fine of no more than $10,000.
The initial charge stems from an Aug. 21 incident in which Haney was pulled over by Hampton police after exhibiting behavior that indicated it was unsafe for her to drive, police said. Her then-7-month-old infant daughter, Brooklyn Haney, was in the vehicle's back seat.
Brooke Haney failed several field sobriety tests and did not have a valid prescription for prescription pills found at the scene, according to authorities.
In the Oct. 25 report, Hampton police stated they were were called to a home in the 400 block of Tina Street, where Haney told a responding officer that she had taken a nap around noon with her 3-year-old daughter, Alexis Haney, and Brooklyn, then 10 months old.
When she awoke around 1:15 p.m. that day, Haney said, she could not find Alexis in her bedroom.
After a search of the home, Haney and a neighbor later found Alexis inside a washing machine, which had started a preset cycle as the girl closed the lid, according to an affidavit.
The girl was pronounced dead around 2:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado. Her cause of death was “scalding and thermal injuries,” authorities said.
At the time of the child's death, Haney was taking prescription medicine, including benzodiazepine, which causes dizziness and drowsiness, according to police.
Her third daughter, whose identity was not released, told police that she and Alexis were routinely asked to assist with laundry. One of them would climb into the washing machine to retrieve clothes and the other would place clothes in the dryer, she said.
Haney, who was not being held at the Calhoun County jail as of Tuesday afternoon, has a court appearance set for Aug. 10.
She had a previous case open in the Louisiana Department of Human Services related to drug abuse while pregnant with Brooklyn as well as "long-term drug abuse issues for both legal and illegal drugs," the affidavit states.