Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Kristen Gerrie, who is accused of a third-degree felony child endangerment charge stemming from a fatal boating incident on Lake Erie, pleaded not guilty in Oregon Municipal Court on July 7.
The charge was upgraded from an original misdemeanor count. The 41-year-old was originally slated to appear in court on July 6, but posted a $50,000 surety bond, and the case was moved to the following day.
Now, Gerrie must post the full $50,000 bond amount to get out on bail, and she is scheduled to appear in court again on July 14 for a preliminary hearing.
The charges stem from an incident that began on July 1 when Gerrie allegedly joined 38-year-old Jonathan Ciha and 11-year-old Angelique Cunningham on a boat.
The next day, Ciha’s body was discovered in Lake Erie near Meinke Marina in Jerusalem Township. Their boat was found unoccupied later that same day near West Sister Island. Gerrie was able to swim ashore, while the search for Cunningham was suspended on July 3.
On July 5, rescue crews recovered the body of an unidentified young female near the shoreline of Meinke Marina. The Lucas County Coroner’s Office confirmed the body was Cunningham’s on July 6, where they said accidental drowning was the manner of death for both of the deceased.
