FULTON, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A Fulton woman who admitted to pushing her two granddaughters, ages three and five, into the Oswego River Monday told police she “wanted to make some memories.”
NewsChannel 9 obtained court paperwork, in which the grandmother, 46-year-old Heather Smith, admits to police what happened.
Smith wrote: “I know the water was cold, but they’re only kids once, and the water was shallow.”
Smith was arrested Monday and arraigned on charges of Engendering the Welfare of a Child and Reckless Endangerment. Each charge is doubled, one per child.
In addition to the criminal charges, Smith is legally banned from seeing the children after a judge instituted an order of protection.
Smith said she wanted to take the children swimming after one requested. She ended up pushing each of them in, she admitted to police.
The water temperature was 35.8 degrees, police determined. The air temperature was about the same.
Sgt. Lucas Hollenbeck, who interviewed Smith personally, tells NewsChannel 9: “It was deep enough where they were fully submerged below water… not to mention there’s undertows there and current. It’s not a safe spot.”
The spot is what the family called “our fishing spot,” an access point to the Oswego River down a path behind an abandoned property off First Street. It’s near the Oswego Falls Park and the backside of the Huhtamaki plant.
When asked if police had mental health concerns about the suspect, Hollenbeck said, “I can’t speak to that end. There always could be. I think that’s a potential in many of the cases law enforcement is involved with, unfortunately.”
Smith is scheduled back in court on March 1.
