Woman Suspected of Child Abuse Back Behind Bars

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office calls a clerical error that allowed a woman charged in a child abuse case to bond out with a lower amount, an honest mistake.

Michele Kraft is accused of keeping a malnourished 8-year-old girl locked in a filthy room.  The 28-year-old surrendered back to county authorities late Friday.

“She returned with her attorney because they had been informed that there was an error in her bond earlier, which allowed her to make bond at a much lower level,” Mike Mansur, the spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said.

Mansur said Kraft’s bond was set at $100,000 after she was booked back in July.  But Mansur said someone made a mistake.

“Part of the process of a grand jury is that the bond amount is written on the actual grand jury indictment. Somehow, a zero got dropped off of the bond amount,” he said.

That made the bond $10,000 instead.  Mansur said Kraft only needed to come up with 10 percent of that, or $1,000.  She did, on August 10.

Mansur said the county can’t remember the last time something like this has happened.  He said they don’t know who made the mistake.  But that they corrected it on Wednesday by filing a motion.

“We think the process has worked 99.999 percent of the time, so really everyone involved is aware of the error and I’m sure they’ll all be paying special attention to it,” Mansur said.

Kraft’s husband, Jeffrey Kraft, faces the same felony charges. Mansur said he remains in custody on his $100,000 bond.

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