Woman charged in death of infant seeks bond modification

A 37-year-old Rhinelander woman charged with first-degree reckless homicide in connection with the death of her four-month-old child in April 2020 has filed a  motion requesting a modification of bond.

According to court records, Geana L. Terry filed the one-page request on Nov. 18, one week after her second court appearance on Nov. 11.

In the handwritten motion, Terry states that she has been in custody since Oct. 16.

“This is my first time ever being arrested and I’m unfamiliar with the system,” she wrote to presiding Judge Leon Stenz, noting that she is a resident of the Rhinelander community “and not a flight risk”.

“I’m at your mercy, your Honor, when I humbly ask for leniency in this matter,” she added, noting that she has lost her job as a result of the arrest. 

If the court agrees to reduce bond, Terry stated that she intends to find work to pay for an attorney “to fight this case with me.”

“I will absolutely make it to all court dates,” the motion concludes.

Terry is being held on a $100,000 cash bail set by Judge Mary Sowinski who has since recused herself from the case due to her prior role as an assistant district attorney. 

According to the criminal complaint, the recent disclosure of new information prompted the Oneida County district attorney’s office to file the reckless homicide charge more than four years after the death of Terry’s child.

The complaint states an individual who was in the residence on the day the infant died recently disclosed to a trusted person that they had witnessed the infant being suffocated. 

After the trusted person reported the conversation to police, the witness corroborated the information and advised that they had been threatened to keep silent regarding what they had witnessed.

This information prompted officers to re-interview Terry who has denied harming her child.

Terry’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 26 before Stenz.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].