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Police charge suspect's mother

Keith Jordan Lambing walks into a juvenile dependency hearing in the Butler Government and Judicial Center Thursday afternoon.
Endangerment counts filed

BUTLER TWP — Police have charged the mother of the suspect in the death of 4-year-old Bentley Thomas Miller with child endangerment and helping the suspect evade capture.

Kristen Herold, 43, of Wexford and formerly of Butler, was charged this morning with two counts of felony hindering apprehension or prosecution, one count of endangering the welfare of children and one count of recklessly endangering another person.

She was brought this morning in restraints to the district court at 121 Sunnyview Circle to be arraigned before District Judge Kevin P. O'Donnell.

She is being held on $200,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday in district court.

The charges against Herold stem from an incident Tuesday morning and also the events leading up to the arrest of her son Keith Jordan Lambing late Wednesday afternoon.

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Police say Herold Tuesday morning picked up Bentley around 9:30 a.m. from the Super 8 motel on Route 8.

Bentley, who had severe injuries, was unresponsive and she pulled over at a shopping plaza in the city and called 911.

Bentley had visible bleeding when she picked him up, though she was initially headed to the boy's father's house in the city, not the hospital, according to a police affidavit.

The boy was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital where he was declared dead. Authorities have ruled his death as a homicide.

Lambing and Herold were both arrested by Butler city police Wednesday afternoon after they were discovered hiding in a Walker Avenue house. He had been on the run for more than 24 hours after police had announced that he was a person of interest in the investigation.

Herold had been interviewed by police officers Tuesday and they allege that she provided false information about Lambing's whereabouts. She allegedly told officers to check the Days Inn motel on Route 8 in the township, not the Super 8.

She also allegedly provided transportation to Lambing on Tuesday and Wednesday, during the time when he was wanted by police for questioning.

No charges had been filed against Lambing as of press time.

Lambing on Thursday denied killing Bentley.

He was exiting a juvenile dependency hearing for his 4-month-old son Thursday afternoon when he made the denial while sobbing.

Lambing was asked if he killed Bentley Thomas Miller.

“No, sir,” Lambing replied.

The closed hearing, which started around 1 p.m., was for the juvenile courtmaster to determine if the 4-month-old was exposed to possible abuse or neglect, and left without support due to a parent's incarceration.

Attorney Bobette Roper Magnusen, who represented Lambing at the hearing, declined to speak about it.

“I have no comment,” she said.

Attorney Joseph Kecskemethy of the firm Jaffe & Kecskemethy, who represented Bentley's mother, MacKenzie Peters, in the dependency hearing declined to comment.

“We can't talk today,” he said.

Lambing and Herold were both being held on bench warrants.

A bench warrant is a court order that is usually issued after a defendant fails to appear for a scheduled court proceeding. After a person is arrested on a bench warrant they are held in jail until they can be brought before the judge who issued the warrant. That judge will then lift the warrant, but also hold a hearing to decide whether the person will be released or detained pending a new court hearing. The judge can also set bail, and require a defendant to post money to be released from custody.

A hearing for Lambing was set for this afternoon, but Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said he didn't believe Lambing was going anywhere, regardless of the outcome.

“Regardless of what happens at his bench warrant hearing, he's going to remain in jail on (the) probation detainer,” Goldinger said.

Lambing's bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear for a court proceeding. But he also has a probation detainer against him — an order that holds a defendant in jail for violating the terms of supervised release until a judge can hold a hearing on the matter.

Eagle staff writers Phillip Rau, Joe Genco and Tom Victoria contributed to this report.

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