Submitted by Fox First at Ten on November 29th
UPDATE: On Thursday Shannon Germanton (Duval) waived the right to a preliminary hearing. She's expected to plead guilty to one of the original felony injury to child charges. The arraignment date has not been set. PREVIOUS STORY:
COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho - A mother accused of leaving her children along a busy interstate has been extradited to Kootenai County to face charges.
27-year-old Shannon Germanton (Duval) was transported to the Kootenai County jail to face two felony counts of injury to child. Germanton was arrested in Spokane and transferred from the Spokane County Jail earlier this month.
Germanton is awaiting a preliminary hearing on the charges. Investigators say Germanton, 27, left her two young sons alone on the side of Interstate 90 between 6:30 and 7:30 Tuesday morning October 30th at the Washington-Idaho state line.
Her sons, ages 3 and 6, were found on the side of the busy road sitting in the grass by a construction worker around 9am that Tuesday morning. According to Post Falls police, Germanton was seen with her children at a Wal-Mart in Post Falls Monday evening, October 29th, around 8pm.
Employees called police because they believed Germanton was acting "strange." When police arrived at Wal-Mart, police say they found Germanton in a bathroom with a gas can and her two children.
Germanton allegedly told police she had run out of gas and was filling up the gas can to bring to her car. Police say Germanton refused any help and said she had a friend coming from Spokane to assist her and her children. Police later left the Wal-Mart after they determined she was okay.
According to Kootenai County deputies, the boys told them their mother had run out of gas Tuesday morning and had gone for help. The boys told investigators that their mother had walked them to that location while it was still dark and raining. Germanton's sons were checked out by paramedics, they determined the boys were ok then released them in to the custody of child services.
On the night of October 30th, police received an anonymous tip that Shannon Germanton (Duval) was at a home in Spokane. When police arrived at the home Germanton was arrested for an outstanding traffic warrant.
