Child endangerment charges filed against a Charter Oak woman for the death of a three-week old infant have been dismissed. According to Crawford County District court records, a motion to dismiss the charges against 22-year-old Sarah Marie Lembke was filed last month, with the court granting the motion yesterday (Monday). She was originally facing child endangerment, a class B felony for allegedly failing to seek medical treatment for the infant after noticing bruising on child’s face and reported excessive crying. The evidence collected post-indictment was shown to not support the charge against Lembke, and the charges have been dropped. For the same incident, 24-year-old Chad Eugene Gibbs Jr. is facing murder in the first degree, a class A felony, and child endangerment resulting in death, a class B felony after allegedly injuring his then two-week-old infant after falling down the stairs, dropping her approximately three to four feet to the ground on Jan. 10. He is scheduled for a jury trial for March of 2026. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
