Baby of inmate dies

Woman was extradited from Fla.

Friday, July 31, 2009

A hearing on a request by a lawyer for Maricris Argueza Shaw, 35, for her pretrial release is expected to take place today, Friday.

After she was taken into custody in Florida, she began bleeding during the trip back to Maryland, Leonardtown lawyer Kevin McDevitt wrote in this week's court filing.

"The defendant was not offered medical attention by her custodians despite her constant requests," McDevitt wrote in the motion for a hearing. "The extradition lasted seven days, all of which the defendant spent in the van."

Shaw again requested medical treatment upon her arrival on June 5 at the St. Mary's jail, the court filing states, and an initial bail review hearing was held in court three days later.

A judge ordered that Shaw be held without bond on one of the bad-check charges.

"The defendant reported to [the jail] staff that the baby was not moving on June 10," McDevitt wrote. "The defendant was transported some time later to St. Mary's Hospital. The baby was delivered and did not survive."

Shaw was granted pretrial release to home detention eight days after the baby's death.

However, her lawyer filed an emergency motion Wednesday for another bail review on grounds that she could not be released to that agreed upon location in Lexington Park.

Shaw's five cases scheduled for trial next month before the district court include allegedly taking a motor vehicle last November, forging bad checks in December and committing an identity-theft offense in February of last year.

Another judge granted on June 18 a request for the woman's release on home detention, and a suitable location for that release is the focus of the request for another hearing.

"The defendant is in poor health and requires significant amounts of medical treatment," McDevitt wrote. "The defendant is in an extremely fragile state and needs the support of friends, family, physicians, mental health professionals and her lawyer."

jwharton@somdnews.com