COURTS Baby sitter pleads not guilty in Olivehurst toddler’s death
An Olivehurst woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the death of a 10-month-old child who fell into a koi pond.
Eva Cheyenne London, 19, is charged in the death of Steven Ryker Gerrtt Smith, who was found unresponsive in a backyard pond in Olivehurst last Aug. 29. The boy died five days later after his parents removed him from life support.
Yuba County Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter said London faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of child endangerment, with a sentence enhancement for great bodily injury.
London will appear in court next Wednesday for a pre-hearing con- ference and again on July 14 for a preliminary hearing.
Some 30 people were at London’s arraignment, with supporters for both families in attendance.
London’s mother, Nicole Brod, said her family has been devastated since the arrest.
“I cannot apologize enough. This is so sad and heartbreaking. My sympathies go out to both families involved,” Brod said.
Brod said it is still unclear what happened last August while London was baby-sitting the toddler.
“The only person that truly knows what happened is God,” Brod said. “We can think we know, and she can think she knows what happened, but she doesn’t. No one really knows.”
Brod said London, who is still in custody with bail set at $100,000, is pregnant and is due on Oct. 24, which would have been the day of Smith’s second birthday.
Geena Day, the child’s grandmother, said the victim’s family felt a lot better about the situation following the arraignment.
Day said the family was expecting London to be released from custody Wednesday. Defense attorney Ben Williams did not request that Wirtschafter release London on her own recognizance, which the victim’s family saw as a small victory.
Moving forward, Day said she hopes the defendant will show remorse for what happened.
“I would like her to show some accountability for what happened,” Day said. “I want her to know what she did cannot be taken back. It’s something she will have to live with forever.”
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