Charges: Stillwater Mother Passed Out in Tub after Mixing Cough Syrup, Vicodin and Alcohol

A 29-year-old Stillwater mother was charged with child endangerment last week .

Katharine Violet Rund mixed Vick’s cough syrup, Vicodin and alcohol before she passed out in the bathtub with the water running, according to charges filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office. Rund's two young children—ages 2 and 4 years old—were unattended as her apartment unit was flooding.

According to the complaint:

The property manager of the told police that he was called to investigate the source of water dripping through the ceiling of two apartments during the late morning hours on Oct. 7, when he determined the water was coming from Rund’s apartment.

The man told police that he repeatedly knocked on Rund’s door, and when no one answered, he let himself in—fearing there was an emergency—when he found Rund naked, passed out in the tub, the complaint states.

The property manager told police that the water in the tub was on full blast and was running over the tub and onto the floor. The property manager also reported there was about 3 inches of standing water on the floor and that the 2-year-old girl was "jumping in and out of the tub and splashing the water on both sides as though she was playing a game."

The property manager told police that he tried to wake Rund for about 90 seconds—and when he was finally successful—he left the apartment and contacted police.

When the officer entered the apartment, he immediately noticed that someone in the apartment had been consuming alcohol, the complaint states. The air in the apartment smelled heavily of alcohol, and Rund “appeared to be heavily intoxicated.”

Rund denied that she had been drinking, but agreed to take a preliminary breath test, which indicated a blood alcohol content of .184, the complaint states. While at the jail, Rund reportedly told correctional officers that she had consumed Vicks menthol cough medicine to assist her sleep—and had mixed Vicodin along with alcohol.

If convicted, Rund faces a maximum of one year in jail and up to $3,000 in fines for the child endangerment charge.