Child Dropped From Parking Garage, Officials Say; Mother Charged

WINFIELD, IL — A Plano woman is accused of dropping her five-year-old daughter from a six-story parking garage at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, the DuPage County State Attorney's office announced on Saturday.

Jerica Crawford, 28, appeared in court Saturday in connection with the February incident.

Crawford is charged with aggravated battery of a child under 13, the attorney's office said in a news release. A judge set her bond at $500,000 and also granted the prosecution's request to appoint a clinical psychologist to assist with the case.

On Feb. 23, Winfield police officers responded to a call at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital just after 4:30 p.m. The caller reported two people had fallen from the top of a parking garage.

When officers arrived, they found Crawford and her daughter on the ground next to the parking garage. Both survived the fall but sustained "major injuries," police said.

• RELATED: Child, Mother Fall From 6th Floor Of Winfield Parking Garage

According to the state attorney's office, Crawford reportedly drove to the top of the parking garage and proceeded to drop her daughter from the top of the structure before jumping from it herself.

“The allegations against Ms. Crawford are extremely disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. “We are all very thankful that both Ms. Crawford and her daughter appear to be well on the road to recovery.”

Crawford's next court date is scheduled for May 24.