Prison guard and wife charged with neglecting 3-year-old daughter’s broken collarbone

The 3-year-old daughter of a state corrections officer had a broken collarbone for at least a week before a relative finally took her in for treatment, prosecutors say.

Sethman Ouderkirk and his wife, Tierra, were living out of motel rooms and their car at the time, according to court documents.

Twice they were found in the middle of the night parked in public lots with drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.

The toddler was with her parents and asleep in her car seat one of those nights. She turned 3 in February.

Sethman Ouderkirk told police he had been working steadily as a guard at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell. However, documents say he is on “administrative leave for failing a drug test and other issues.”

Officials with the Washington state Department of Corrections, reached early Monday evening, could not confirm Ouderkirk’s job status.

The couple now are in the Benton County jail on $50,000 bail each.

Their daughter reportedly is living with family members.

Tierra Ouderkirk, 39, and Sethman Ouderkirk, 42, both were charged Monday with first-degree criminal mistreatment and possession of methamphetamine.

The criminal mistreatment charge alleges the parents recklessly caused great bodily harm to their daughter by withholding any of the basic necessities of life — in this case, medical care.

Richland police first had contact with the family about 3 a.m. March 1 when they found their car parked in the Richland Community Center parking lot.

Police seize meth in car

An officer looking through the windows could see the sleeping child in the back and drug paraphernalia, including burnt foil and a straw, spread around the interior, court documents said.

Police reportedly did not have probable cause at the time to arrest the Ouderkirks, but a later search turned up pills, a baggie with meth, a glass pipe and two plastic pipes, documents said.

Then on March 6, the Ouderkirks dropped off their daughter at the home of an adult relative. They allegedly mentioned that the toddler might have a broken clavicle, but told the relative not to take her to the hospital.

The parents said they would take the girl to the doctor when they picked her up.

Five days later, that same relative again was watching the girl and discovered that she still had not been to a doctor.

By now, the collarbone was sticking out from the girl’s skin, and she was in obvious pain from the injury, court documents said.

The Ouderkirks never returned to get the toddler. So on March 13, the relative took the girl to the hospital.

Parents angry when girl taken to hospital

“When Tierra discovered (the relative) had taken (her daughter) to the hospital, she was angry with (the relative),” documents said.

Just over a day later, Kennewick police found the Ouderkirks’ car parked at Horse Heaven Hills Middle School at 2:30 a.m.

Tierra and Sethman were walking away from the car as an officer approached, but officers were able to stop them.

Tierra Ouderkirk allegedly lied about her name to police, but once her identity was confirmed they discovered she had a warrant for failing to comply with a deferred prosecution on a DUI.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 7:20 PM.