ST CHARLES, Mo. — A mother was charged after her 11-year-old daughter gave birth in a bathtub last week.
Lesbia Cante pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. In court Wednesday, her cash-only bail was increased to $100,000 from $10,000.
According to court documents, Cante and her husband, Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Lopez, took a newborn to St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles last week. The baby still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached and had a body temperature of 90 degrees.
Gonzalez-Lopez said he did not know the girl was pregnant or that Lopez-Cante was raping her until she gave birth to the child in their bathtub.
After police read Lopez-Cante his Miranda rights, he told police he had sex with the girl about 100 times but did not know she was pregnant. He said he did not know when he first had sex with her but said it happened about twice a week.
Lopez-Cante was charged with first-degree statutory rape, statutory sodomy and incest. His bond was set at $25,000, cash-only.
Gonzalez-Lopez was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for his role in the incident. His bail was set at $10,000, cash only. Charging documents said he entered the country illegally and was previously deported.