Woman faces charges in boy’s death

Mr. Lindsay asked the judge to reconsider the $200,000 bond set in the case after Ms. Herold took the witness stand briefly and testified that she works at a restaurant and takes care of her 65-year-old mother, who has lupus. The judge declined to reduce bond and Ms. Herold was returned to the Butler County Prison.

After the hearing, District Attorney Rich Goldinger said his office viewed Ms. Herold as a flight risk and added, “She may be safer where she is right now,” alluding to community outrage over the child’s death.

Mr. Lindsay said after the hearing that his client was “devastated” by Bentley’s death. He said he didn’t know how long Mr. Lambing and Bentley’s mother, Mackenzie Paige Peters, 21, of Butler, had been a couple, but they have a 4-month-old son together. That child now is in the custody of Butler County Children, Youth and Families. Bentley was the son of Ms. Peters and Tyler Miller of Butler.

Ms. Peters was charged Thursday with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child for failing to seek medical care for a serious burn Bentley had sustained prior to his death and for drug paraphernalia found in the motel room where the family had been living for several weeks. Mr. Lambing — known to friends and family as Jordan — is accused of raping Bentley, causing internal injuries so severe that the boy bled to death. The child also was covered in bruises and was burned, according to court documents.

Mr. Lambing faces a preliminary hearing April 20 on charges of homicide, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child with serious bodily injury, rape of a child, rape of a child with serious bodily injury, aggravated indecent assault of a child, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment. He was charged Monday by Butler Township police.