Woman facing child-endangerment charges waives hearing Thursday

A mother of two children found living in an apartment with large amounts of trash and spoiled food waived a hearing Thursday.

Charleen R. Hinkle, 40, of 3018 Mimosa Court, will face second-degree child endangerment charges in circuit court, Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp ruled.

Hinkle was charged after Cape Girardeau police responded to her apartment June 22 on request of workers from the Missouri Children's Division.

Neither Hinkle nor her attorney, assistant public defender Jennifer Booth, would comment after Hinkle's brief appearance before Kamp.

Originally filed as a felony, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor in circuit court, prosecutor Morley Swingle said. To be a felony, second-degree child endangerment requires the accused to have caused the threat as part of a ritual or ceremony and Hinkle is only accused of having negligently allowed her home to become unsanitary.