Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, August 07, 2008

Woman accused of letting baby die mistakenly let out of jail for 20 minutes

By ANNE JUNGEN / La Crosse Tribune

A La Crosse woman accused of letting her newborn daughter die was erroneously let out of jail for about 20 minutes Tuesday as county officials tried to navigate a rare bond release procedure.

Indra Book, 19, who faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the Aug. 17, 2007, death of the infant, is in the La Crosse County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Scott Horne is considering allowing Book’s release on $10,000 cash and a $40,000 property bond, the first time a property bond would be accepted in La Crosse County.

Family friend George Keith Brown has offered his La Crosse apartment building as collateral. Horne ordered an appraisal to determine if Brown’s building has $40,000 in equity — the market value of the property, minus the outstanding mortgage balance.

When the appraisal listed the property’s value at $475,000, La Crosse County Deputy Corporation Counsel David Lange approved the property bond paperwork Tuesday. That figure, however, did not reflect Brown’s equity in the building.

Jail staff then released Book at 2:23 p.m., after her mother posted the $10,000 cash, said Capt. Doris Daggett, jail administrator.

“We haven’t done this before, and I think there was some miscommunication,” Lange said.

But at Book’s 2:45 p.m. bond hearing Tuesday, Horne denied her release because he didn’t find sufficient property equity. He called for a more detailed appraisal, at the Book family’s expense, and set another review hearing for Tuesday.

Book was ordered back to jail, a move she did not expect, said public defender Vincent Rust. “It was very hard for her,” he said.

Book, of 506 Farnam St., Apt. 1, is accused of failing to provide proper care, including feedings, to her daughter in the hours after giving birth in her then-apartment at 813 S. Sixth St., prosecutors said. She hid the body in a cooler that months later was put out with the trash, according to the criminal complaint.

Rust has filed a motion to dismiss the first-degree intentional homicide charge against Book that will be heard Sept. 5, saying he believes the case facts don’t support the charge.

Anne Jungen can be reached at (608) 791-8224 or ajungen@lacrossetribune.com.