Police outline Stott-Smith case
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Amanda Jo Stott-Smith pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday afternoon on murder charges in the death of her 4-year-old son, who drowned in the Willamette River.
Stott-Smith is accused of forcing her two children off the Sellwood Bridge in Portland two weeks ago. More:
Eldon Smith, 4, died in the fall off the Sellwood Bridge in the early morning hours of May 23. His 7-year-old sister was rescued by nearby residents who heard her moans in the darkness and jumped in their boat to investigate.
Their mother was formally indicted on eight counts of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder on Tuesday and was being held without bail. Also:
Her court-appointed attorney, Ken Hadley, said Stott-Smith was on suicide watch and suggested that mental competency issues "may be raised" during a trial.
Stott-Smith was taken into custody at a downtown parking garage hours after her children were found in the river.
The 7-year-old girl was placed in state custody after five days in an area hospital. An attorney for Jason Smith, the girl's father, was working with the state to have her returned. More:
In a briefing Wednesday, Portland police released a timeline of the events leading to Stott-Smith's arrest.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, Jason Smith dropped the children off in Tualatin at Stott-Smith's home. By midnight, Stott-Smith's family said they had become concerned they had not seen the children. They called Jason Smith around 1:30 a.m. -- just 10 minutes after dispatchers took a call of children crying in the river. Details:
Officers arrived minutes later and began to search. The children were pulled from the river just after 2 a.m. Jason Smith reported the kids missing in Tualatin just before 3 a.m.
Stott-Smith's family called Portland police at 7:30 a.m. Tualatin and Portland police made the connection within minutes, and a Portland officer found Amanda on the ninth floor of a downtown parking garage.
Detectives said she had already gone over a barrier and an officer was able to grab her wrist and pull her back up.
Court records show that Stott-Smith filed for separation from Jason Smith in March. Her estranged husband had gained custody of the children and Stott-Smith, against her pleas, was only able to visit them every other weekend.
"We hope people wait and judge after they see the evidence and not before," Hadley said. "But it is an emotional case and, certainly I understand people may want to jump to conclusions we hope they will bear with it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
