CALHOUN COUNTY, Mich. — An Albion mother accused of stabbing her young children could spend the rest of her life behind bars if she's convicted.
Jessica Edward-Ricks, 35, appeared before attorney magistrate Amber L. Straub on Tuesday afternoon for her video arraignment at the Calhoun County Courthouse in Battle Creek.
Monday, FOX 17 obtained bodycam video showing an Albion police officer and a Calhoun County Sheriff’s deputy rushing into a home on Bluestem Court on Saturday June 24. There, police said they found a woman holding a toddler underwater.
The Albion officer immediately grabbed the child and performed CPR until she coughed and breathed on her own.
Investigators said they also found a four-year-old sibling with cuts.
Officers were alerted to the situation after a teenager called 911, screaming that the mom planned to kill her own child.
Tuesday, at the video arraignment, Edward-Ricks appeared to be lying down on a bed. She was charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder and two counts of child abuse.
“There’s six total charges. Do you understand that?” asked Straub.
“But, I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean,” said Edward-Ricks.
“Hold on, hold on ma’am,” Straub said. “I don’t want to get into the facts of the case because right now you’re presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Straub ordered Edward-Ricks to undergo a mental health assessment. She set bond at $500,000 and scheduled the pre-exam for July 11 and the preliminary hearing for July 18 at 11:30 a.m.
FOX 17 talked with Albion Police Chief Scott Kipp, who said over the phone that, when he last heard, the children were in stable condition.
