A Colorado midwife and a birth center owner are facing felony charges following a 911 call concerning a distressed newborn, police said.
Brecklen Ables, a certified professional midwife, and Althea Hrdlichka, owner of Tender Gifts Birth & Wellness Center in Fort Collins, were arrested Tuesday on warrants, police said.
The emergency call regarding the newborn developed into a broader criminal investigation involving the birth center, authorities said.
Fort Collins police obtained arrest warrants for both women before taking them into custody, department officials said.
Ables is charged with attempted influence of a public servant and tampering with evidence, court records show.
Hrdlichka is charged with attempted influence of a public servant and forgery, according to court documents.
The investigation reportedly began in February after officers answered an emergency call regarding a distressed newborn delivered at Tender Gifts, police said.
What investigators subsequently uncovered caused the inquiry to expand well beyond that single delivery, police said.
The case has raised questions about the treatment of other children delivered through the center, authorities said. Exactly what authorities believe happened remains unclear because the case file has been sealed, court records show.
Because the court file remains sealed, authorities have not publicly disclosed all of the evidence underlying the allegations, records indicate.
Prosecutors have also withheld the exact actions they contend each woman took, according to court documents.
The felony charges stem from concerns about how children were cared for while experiencing distress, KCNC reported.
The television station cited a source with knowledge of the investigation into the birth center.
The inquiry includes at least one case in which a child died, according to the report citing a source familiar with the case.
Authorities are examining how children in distress were cared for at the center, the report stated. The precise circumstances surrounding the reported death of the child have not been publicly disclosed, court records show.
Fort Collins police have now completed their investigation into the birth center, authorities said.
Officers turned the completed case over to the local district attorney’s office for prosecution, according to police.
Ables and Hrdlichka have been arrested and charged in the case, but neither woman has been convicted, officials noted. The allegations against them have not been proven in court, and both are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, records state.
The matter now rests with the local district attorney’s office for prosecution, according to police.
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