An Easton woman free on bail in a child abuse case is back behind bars, accused of taking her 2-year-old girl Saturday night and throwing her over an 8-foot fence as the woman fled from city police.
Lisette Mercado, of the first block of North 13th Street, was charged with two counts of defiant trespass, as well as single counts of child endangerment, attempted simple assault, attempted criminal mischief, and harassment.
The 26-year-old Mercado was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail in the case from over the weekend. She had been free in a previous child abuse case involving the little girl, after Mercado’s bail was changed in June from $15,000 to $15,000 unsecured, records show.
Police were called at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday for a custody dispute at Mercado’s apartment building. Mercado, who does not have custody of the child, was reportedly hiding on the third floor with the little girl.
Mercado’s aunt reported Mercado was trying to take the girl and, per her bail conditions, was not supposed to be around children.
When police searched the building and backyard, they did not find Mercado or the girl.
They then heard a man screaming “She threw the baby over a fence!" and then “She just threw the baby over a fence and dropped her - quick she is back here!”
A next door neighbor was the person yelling, and police said as officers got into the nearby yard, they saw Mercado scaling another fence into Paxinosa Elementary School’s parking lot.
Police found the little girl alone, crying in an area with thick brush in the neighbor’s yard. Officers chased Mercado into the school’s parking lot, where she was arrested.
Witnesses reported they saw Mercado drop the little girl over the fence separating her apartment building from the neighbor’s property.
The neighbor told police Mercado kicked him while she tried to climb over the fence to get away from police.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.