READ: Manslaughter, Neglect Charges against Fridley Man in Death of 11-month-old Daughter

Anoka County prosecutors have filed charges of manslaughter and child-neglect against a Fridley man they say was responsible for his 11-month-old daughter's death by drowning in a bathtub last year.

Joseph Edward Martin, Jr., 28, took an "unreasonable risk" by leaving the baby and her four-year-old sister alone in the tub on Oct. 31, 2011, Assistant Anoka County Wade Kish told KSTP-TV:

"He left two children in a bathtub with nine inches of water, and sat 24 feet away from the edge of the bathtub. The critical thing for us was that from that distance of 24 feet he had a field of view into the bathroom of only about 12 inches. The tub itself was 49 inches wide so Mr. Martin could only see 12 inches of it."

(See PDF for the statement of probable cause from the criminal complaint.)

Here are the two charges filed against Martin:

COUNT 1: Manslaughter in the Second Degree
On or about October 31, 2011, in the County of Anoka, Minnesota, Joseph Edward Martin Jr., did cause the death of another, namely MLM, by the person's culpable negligency whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another.

COUNT 2: Neglect of a Child
On or about October 31, 2011, in the County of Anoka, Minnesota, Joseph Edward Martin Jr., did being a parent, legal guardian, or caretaker, willfully deprive a child, namely MLM, of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision appropriate to the child's age, when the parent, guardian, or caretaker is reasonably able to make the necessary provisions and the deprivation results in substantial harm to the child's physical, mental, or emotional health.

A conviction on the first count carries a possible penalty of 0–10 years in prison or a fine of $6,000–20,000, or both. A conviction on the second count carries a possible penalty of as many as five years in prison or a fine of $3,000–5,000, or both.