OXNARD : Mother Accused of Dropping Baby Freed

Over the objection of prosecutors, a Ventura County judge released from jail on Wednesday an Oxnard woman who is accused of dropping her infant daughter over a six-foot fence.

Superior Court Judge Joe D. Hadden ordered Aretha Marcell Chester, 23, released from the Ventura County Jail on her own recognizance, which means without posting any bail.

Chester, who had been held in lieu of $10,000 bail, faces charges of child endangerment and battery.

She was arrested after an incident on July 31 that witnesses said began with an argument between the woman and a group of men at Sierra Linda Park in Oxnard. When the men jumped over the chain-link fence, Chester dangled the infant over the fence and let her go, according to court testimony.

“I didn’t want her to be released on her own recognizance because, one, it’s a very aggravated case and, two, she has had some temper tantrums,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox said. “I think she’s very unstable.”

After a judge ordered her to stand trial last month, she reacted with anger and tears, making an outburst in the court.

Fox said the infant is living with her paternal grandparents. Chester can only visit her child with the permission of social workers, Fox said.