Child Rescued At Laundromat

A woman who allegedly put her 2-year-old daughter into a coin-operated laundry washer and closed the door was charged with felony child endangerment.

Erma Osborne, 35, of Pomona, allegedly put the girl into a washer at Lucy's Laundromat in Pomona on Saturday. Authorities said it began operating when the door closed because it had unexpired time.

Police were called after the woman and bystanders were unable to unlock the machine. Officers used batons to break open the washer's glass window and rescue the submerged girl.

The girl, who required stitches on her arms and legs, was in stable condition Tuesday at Children's Hospital in Orange County, the district attorney's office said.

Osborne was charged Tuesday and remained jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail, prosecutor Gail Ehrlich said. Osborne was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday.

Police couldn't immediately say Tuesday night if she had retained an attorney, and there was no phone listing for her family in Pomona. Relatives and neighbors said previously they believe she will be exonerated.