Dad gets probation for death of 4-year-old daughter (Flint,Texas)

Dad is identified as RUSSEL LINDSTROM. No mention of a mother in the home.

http://www.bullardnews.com/news/2015-01-14/Front_Page/Flint_father_faces_15_years_of_probation.html

Flint father faces 15 years of probation
Lindstrom pleads guilty to two counts of injury to a child

By MICAH McCARTNEY Editor

A Smith County father charged in his daughter’s death pleaded guilty Friday, Jan. 9, during an early morning plea hearing.

Russel Lindstrom, 33, of Flint, pleaded guilty to two counts of injury to a child resulting from the death of his four year old daughter, Bella Rose, and injury to his three year old daughter, Zoey, in June.

Smith County Sheriff’s Offi ce Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call Wednesday, June 11, from a person reporting two unresponsive toddlers inside a vehicle in the 18000 block of County Road 1100, near Flint. EMS workers arrived and found the two girls inside a locked 2003 Nissan Frontier pickup.

Lindstrom, reportedly thinking the girls were asleep in a bedroom, went outside in search for the girls after he played a video game and then was told to go check on the girls. He found the girls locked inside the truck, saying Bella was lying in a puddle of her own vomit. Lindstrom went back inside the house to get the keys, unlocked the truck and pulled Bella from the truck, attempting to cool her off inside the family pool. He then returned to the truck, removed Zoey, and placed her on cool concrete.

Lindstrom returned to his oldest daughter and found no pulse or response. He performed CPR and attempted to call 9-1-1, but was unable to due to water damage caused in the pool. A friend of the family at the scene called 9-1-1, later stating that it took first responders 30 minutes to arrive at the scene. Bella was transported to a local hospital, where she later died. Zoey survived the ordeal, was treated overnight at a local hospital, and released.

Child Protective Services is involved in the case. There is no CPS history with the family. CPS is currently investigating Lindstrom for neglectful supervision, looking into who was supposed to supervise the children, as well as how the children ended up inside a locked vehicle.

According to CPS, the investigation’s preliminary findings suggest Bella Lindstrom died of heat-related complications after being in a locked vehicle for an undetermined amount of time. Zoey Lindstrom was not taken into CPS custody.

A search warrant was executed at the residence Wednesday, July 9. At that time, Lindstrom was arrested and booked into the Smith County Jail and charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of injury to a child, with a total bond of $200,000. Lindstrom’s truck was also taken from the property to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab for processing.

According to Lindstrom, authorities confiscated all of his electronics and prescription medication, as well as a grinder, pipe, and small amount of marijuana. Lindstrom alerted authorities to the fact he had several guns and other weapons inside the house, but they were not removed at the time of his arrest.

Lindstrom’s original charge of one count of manslaughter was changed by a court to two counts of injury to a child in October. Lindstrom has been out of jail since Monday, Dec. 8, when he was released on a personal recognizance bond. The state is recommending a total of 15 years of probation for both counts. Sentencing for Lindstrom will be 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 2.