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Mother accused of abandoning dead newborn in Lodi appears in court

The woman accused of abandoning her dead newborn on a Lodi street last week made her first court appearance. This baby was found on South Sacramento Street on September 26th and the mother was arrested the next day. Kathryn Grace Copeland, 29, was charged with concealing or attempting to conceal an accidental death and a prior misdemeanor count of possession of fentanyl. Last week, surveillance video showed Copeland lying in the spot where the baby was found around 7:30 p.m. and getting up to leave around 2 a.m. Copeland appeared before a judge on Tuesday. The judge asked Copeland whether she wanted to resolve the case or be appointed as counsel. She replied that she wanted to solve the problem. However, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said it was not prepared to make an offer as of Tuesday. Copeland then said she wanted a public defender. The judge also told her she could face up to a year in prison and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000. Copeland's aunt, Donna Jenkins, said she calls her Gracie. Jenkins argued that her niece was confused and suffered from mental disorders. She said Copeland has been homeless on and off in recent years. “She’s not the homeless pregnant girl. She is my niece. Her name is Gracie and she is a beautiful soul,” Jenkins said. “She definitely looks like she’s not really sure what’s going on. Definitely lost.” Copeland sat emotionless in the courtroom as her family looked on, crying. Copeland's bail was set at $20,000. She is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday following a mental health evaluation. After the incident shocked the community, emergency responders want to let people know what resources are available to them. “It kind of tells the mother what to do. It also says “The first responders know what to do if they haven't looked at this in a while,” said Deputy Fire Chief Tim Ortegel, explaining the Lodi Fire Department's safe handoff system. “We would take the baby to the hospital and get her.” “Evaluated, and then the mother has 14 days if she wants to reassess her situation,” Ortegel said. Do you have photos or videos of an incident? If so, upload it to KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and other details so we can give you the right credit online and on TV. For more coverage of top California stories, click here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

LODI, California –

The woman accused of abandoning her dead newborn on a Lodi street last week made her first court appearance.

The baby was found on South Sacramento Street on Sept. 26 and the mother was arrested the next day.

Kathryn Grace Copeland, 29, was charged with concealing or attempting to conceal an accidental death and a prior misdemeanor count of possession of fentanyl.

Last week, surveillance video showed Copeland lying in the spot where the baby was found around 7:30 p.m. and getting up to leave around 2 a.m

Copeland went before a judge on Tuesday. The judge asked Copeland whether she wanted to resolve the case or be appointed as counsel.

She replied that she wanted the problem resolved.

However, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said it was not prepared to make an offer as of Tuesday.

Copeland then said she would like to have a public defender.

The judge also told her she could face up to a year in prison and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000.

Copeland's aunt, Donna Jenkins, said she calls her Gracie. Jenkins argued that her niece was confused and suffered from mental disorders. She said Copeland has been homeless on and off in recent years.

“She’s not the homeless pregnant girl. She is my niece. Her name is Gracie and she is a beautiful soul,” Jenkins said. “She definitely looks like she’s not really sure what’s going on. Definitely lost.”

Copeland sat emotionless in the courtroom as her family looked on, crying.

Copeland's bail was set at $20,000. She is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday following a mental health examination.

After the incident shocked the community, emergency responders want people to know what resources are available to them.

“It kind of tells the mother what to do. “It also tells first responders what to do if they haven't looked at it in a while,” said Deputy Fire Chief Tim Ortegel, explaining the Lodi Fire Department's safe handoff system.

“We would take the baby to the hospital, have him examined, and then the mother has 14 days to reassess her situation,” Ortegel said.

Do you have photos or videos of an incident? If yes, upload it KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and other details so we can give you the right credit online and on TV.

For more coverage of California's top stories, click here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

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