Court date set for mother of slain 3-year-old Dakota
Investigators in Tennessee say Brianna Kwekel knew her 3- year- old son Dakota Arndt was at risk of being abused yet failed to protect him. Authorities in Michigan, the state where she most recently lived, agreed, and took action to remove her second son from her custody just days after he was born.
Though the infant was taken away in Janu ar y and Kwekel was legally restricted from being unsupervised with him in Michigan, longtime friend Kimberly Medenblik said she has witnessed Kwekel break this court order.
Medenblik said there was one time in mid-March when Kwekel brought the baby to visit her and her sister and did not have the court-ordered supervision. Medenblik said she was unaware at the time that Kwekel was not allowed to be alone with the baby. Kwekel said she couldn’t stay long because the baby was really sick, Medenblik recounted.
Kwekel’s parental rights are temporarily restricted by the courts in Michigan because of Dakota’s death. Dakota was allegedly beaten to death last August by Justin Bradley, Kwekel’s live- in boyfriend at the time. Bradley was charged in Dakota’s death but hanged himself with a sheet in the Hamilton County Jail while awaiting his preliminary hearing.
Kwekel was arrested Tuesday in Hamilton County on one charge of aggravated child endangerment in connection with Dakota’s death.
She is currently free on a $ 50,000 bond without restriction, and is scheduled to appear before Hamilton County Judge Don Poole on May 1.
Tyler Arndt, Dakota’s biological father, says he does not understand why Kwekel was allowed to go free on bond.
“If they [ authorities] are so concerned about everyone’s safety then why the hell did they let her go with no conditions?” he said via text message on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t like having to carry a weapon everywhere I go because I’m afraid she’s going to show up.”
Court documents obtained by the Times Free Press show that the son Kwekel delivered in Michigan on Jan. 29, and who was conceived with Bradley, was taken from her custody two days after his birth.
“The child(ren) is/are at substantial risk of harm or is/are in surroundings that present an imminent risk of harm and the child( ren)’s immediate removal from those surroundings is necessary to protect the child(ren)’s health and safety,” the documents say.
Following an investigation conducted by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, which found Kwekel responsible for Dakota’s death, Michigan courts conducted their own and agreed with the findings.
“Ms. Kwekel was found to have failed to protect Dakota due to a history of domestic violence with Mr. Bradley and knowledge of prior injuries on Dakota,” Michigan court documents say.
Nevertheless, the documents say her newborn will remain in the custody of the state while reasonable efforts are made to reunite him with his mother.
The baby’s legal father, Jacob Medenblik, who is not the biological father but who signed the birth certificate, is granted supervised visits along with Kwekel even as she awaits trial in Dakota’s death.
Medenblik has known Kwekel since she was a foster child in his home growing up. He is Kimberly Medenblik’s brother and the biological father of Kwekel’s first child, a daughter, who is legally adopted by her paternal grandparents.
Neither Kwekel nor her mother returned requests for comment Wednesday night.
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi. anderson@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6592.