A South St. Paul woman who told authorities that she probably hurt her 12-day-old son when she suffered a seizure in her sleep pleaded guilty Monday to felony child endangerment.
Jennifer A. Pickar, 31, will have chemical dependency and psychological evaluations before she is sentenced March 5.
She was charged in Dakota County District Court in January with child neglect and child endangerment after the baby suffered fractures to his eye sockets and bleeding on the front and back of his brain, court documents said.
When Pickar went to the emergency room of a St. Paul hospital on Jan. 1 to seek treatment for tremors, a nurse there noticed that the boy, born Dec. 21, appeared to have two black eyes. The baby was taken to the intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, where his injuries became clear. His condition worsened to the point that he needed a breathing tube, and a shunt was surgically inserted into his skull to reduce swelling.
Pickar initially denied inflicting the boy's injuries but later said she "must have suffered a seizure where she hit herself and [the baby] on the metal crib that was next to the bed," the complaint said.
The baby is no longer living with Pickar.
PAT PHEIFER
