Iowa prosecutor charges woman with child endangerment in kidnapping of Wisconsin newborn

Published January 08, 2015

An Iowa prosecutor has filed a child endangerment charge against a woman suspected of kidnapping of a newborn baby and leaving him behind a gas station.

Cedar County Attorney Jeffrey Renander filed the charge Thursday against Kristen R. Smith, saying she endangered newborn Kayden Powell "in numerous ways."

Renander says Smith made an initial court appearance and remains at the county jail.

Smith was arrested last week in West Branch, Iowa, on an outstanding warrant. The next day, the police chief found the baby in a storage crate outside a gas station in freezing weather.

Police say Smith kidnapped her half-sister's newborn from a southern Wisconsin home.

Federal prosecutors in Wisconsin have charged Smith with kidnapping, but she hasn't yet been taken into federal custody.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-prosecutor-charges-woman-with-child-endangerment-in-kidnapping-of-wisconsin-newborn