Woman in alpaca case seeks release to care for her 2-year-old daughter

Stacie Mullins says she is the sole caregiver for her daughter and that the child's father is in Iraq.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Stacie Mullins, 23, is shown with her attorney Patrick Binns during a June 14 hearing in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

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By Lauren Pack, Staff Writer 2:32 AM Saturday, July 10, 2010

HAMILTON — The woman charged in the theft and beating death of a baby alpaca in February, who was arrested again last month, is asking a judge to release her from jail so that she can care for her 2-year-old daughter.

Stacie Mullins, 23, was booked into the Butler County Jail June 26 for contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she was arrested a second time with her 17-year-old co-defendant, Nicholas Reynolds. He crashed her car while allegedly driving under the influence.

Reynolds fled from officers who tried to stop the car when it backed out of a Madison Twp. driveway around 5:30 a.m. and stopped in the middle of Ohio 122, according to Butler County Sheriff’s deputies.

Reynolds, who is being tried as an adult in the animal-beating case, was charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence, failure to comply with a police order, resisting arrest, reckless operation, failure to control and driving under suspension.

Mullins is also charged with wrongful entrustment of a motor vehicle for allegedly permitting Reynolds to drive her car without a valid license and while under the influence, according to deputies.

In a motion filed June 30, defense attorney Patrick Binns requested a hearing to set reasonable bond for Mullins because she is the sole caregiver for her daughter and the child’s father is deployed to Iraq, “which leaves only the defendant to care for the child.”

In addition, Mullins’ “health and welfare are threatened in that she has not been able to eat while incarcerated, her mental state is becoming unstable and that she has medical conditions, which require attention that cannot be provided while incarcerated,” according to the motion.

Binns said Friday he will ask that Mullins be placed on house arrest, “not only for her health, but for the welfare of her family.”

At the time of their arrests, both Mullins and Reynolds were free on bond pending trials in the theft and animal cruelty case. Common pleas judges revoked bond in both cases. Last week, Judge Keith Spaeth set bond for Reynolds at $250,000.

A bond hearing for Mullins has been set for 1 p.m. Monday, July 12, before Judge Patricia Oney.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.

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