Police: York-area mom wanted to put toddler out in cold

An intoxicated West Manchester Township mother choked her 11-year-old son on Valentine's Day when he tried to protect his baby sister after the mother said she no longer wanted the girl and was going to leave the child outside in the cold, according to police.

Heather Michele Hall also assaulted and spit on arriving officers who heard her repeatedly say she no longer wants her toddler, charging documents allege.

Hall, 35, of 1742 Baron Drive, Apt. F, remains in York County Prison on $35,000 bail, charged with two counts of child endangerment and one count of aggravated assault on a police officer, which are felony crimes, as well as the misdemeanors of simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

West Manchester Township Police were called to Hall's home about 10 p.m. Sunday and were told she was attacking her son, charging documents state.

Tot 'pinned': When Officer Michael Jordan arrived, he looked through a sliding-glass door and saw Hall asleep on the couch, with her 2-year-old daughter "pinned" between Hall and the back of the sofa, documents state.

Hall woke up and "became somewhat coherent," according to documents, at which point she asked the officer, "What the f— are you doing in my house, Jordan?"

She ordered her son not to speak with officers as she continually screamed and cursed at Jordan to get out of her home, according to police, who said she was unsteady on her feet and fell backward, "narrowly missing" falling on her 2-year-old daughter.

Hall's boyfriend Mark Gibbs — father of the toddler — arrived at the apartment and immediately told officers, "She was drinking again," then picked up an empty E&J Brandy bottle that was on the floor, documents state.

'I don't want her': Hall was crying by that point, according to documents.

"I heard Heather state three times while crying, 'I don't want her anymore!' The statement was referencing (the toddler), who was in the room and (who) Heather was looking toward while making the statements," Jordan wrote in Hall's arrest affidavit.

Officers learned Hall told her son she no longer wanted his little sister and planned to put the toddler outside, documents state. At the time, it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside and there were 6 inches of snow on the ground, according to police.

When the boy blocked a hallway to stop her, Hall grabbed him by the throat until he couldn't breathe, leaving a red mark on his neck that was 3 inches long and a half-inch wide, charging documents allege.

Son tackled: The son then tried to grab a blanket but was tackled by his mother, police allege.

The boy explained he grabbed the blanket in case Hall did put the toddler outside, "so I could cover us until you got here," according to documents.

A caseworker was contacted from the York County Office of Children, Youth and Families who is "familiar with the residence from a previous report," police said. The caseworker said Hall's children could stay at home Sunday night with Gibbs, and that a caseworker would be in contact with the family on Monday, documents state.

Officers said Gibbs was not able to spell his daughter's name or give them her date of birth, but he didn't appear intoxicated, according to documents.

Officer kicked: Hall became enraged when officers handcuffed her, police said. She resisted arrest and kicked Officer Christopher Mills in the left leg, documents allege. He was not hurt but did stumble backward, police said.

Officers dragged Hall to a patrol vehicle as she screamed and resisted arrest, police said. Once inside the back of the cruiser, Hall repeatedly spit on the clear plastic security divider between the front and back seats, according to documents.

Jordan was driving Hall to the county's central booking unit when she started complaining about foot pain and neck pain and demanded to be taken to York Hospital, police said.

When they arrived, Hall spit on a hospital security officer and continually called a black security officer a racial epithet, documents state. Her behavior didn't improve inside the hospital, according to charging documents, which state she kicked and slammed the door of the commitment cell where she had been placed.

Officer treated: Hall then spit a large amount of saliva into the mouth of Officer Mills, documents allege. He had to "receive treatment for possible disease transmission," police said.

Documents indicate the "previous report" from Hall's home involving police that led to child welfare caseworkers being called happened Jan. 17.

During that incident, Hall was outside and was extremely intoxicated while her toddler daughter was screaming in her crib inside the apartment, police allege. That alleged incident was reported by Gibbs, police said.

— Reach Liz Evans Scolforo at levans@yorkdispatch.com.