A Grand Forks woman accused of taking her barefoot daughters outside in subzero temperatures told a judge Wednesday that she wants help to become a better mother.
"I know what I did was wrong, and I'm wanting to get help for myself," Breanna Rose Prather told the court via interactive television. "I want to be back with my kids."
A criminal complaint alleges that Prather, 21, dragged her 5-year-old through the snow and carried her 2-year-old under her arm "like a football." The incident occurred Feb. 26 just before midnight when the air temperature was 13 below and the wind chill was 37 below, according to court documents.
The 2-year-old was wearing a jacket, a hat and a pair of cotton pants, while the 5-year-old was wearing Capri pants, the complaint states. Prather was intoxicated at the time, authorities say.
Prather is charged with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child. Both are Class C felonies with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. She also is charged with a Class A misdemeanor for assaulting an adult on the same day.
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State District Judge Joel Medd set her bail at $2,000 and ordered her not to drink alcohol. She remained in custody Wednesday evening.
Prather told Medd her kids are staying with her mom in East Grand Forks.
"I have every intention of getting through this and accepting the consequences of what's happening," she said.
