Parolee reportedly headed to Sisters

A woman who slashed the throat of a toddler during a psychotic episode is reportedly planning to live in Sisters after her medical parole.

The Idaho Statesman is reporting that Rae Ann Leach, 70, will join her husband, Dave Leach, who resides in Sisters, after she is released from the Pocatello Woman's Correctional Center. That release is not expected for at least a month.

Deschutes County property records show David and Rae Ann Leach as owners of a house at 17675 Mountain View Dr. in Squaw Creek Canyon Estates.

According to the Idaho Statesman report, "Leach will take part in a program to help her adjust to life outside prison. She will also be required to develop a plan that ensures the community will be protected when she's released... The plan Leach develops will also have to be approved by Oregon officials to ensure the safety of people in Sisters..."

Olivia Craven, executive director of the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole, told the paper that Leach will not be released early if Oregon officials don't accept the plan.

Leach slashed the throat of a 20-month-old neighbor girl during a psychotic episode on July 10, 1995. She had invited members of the girl's family to feed some squirrels in her yard and took the toddler into her home for a treat. She left the house carrying the bleeding girl, who lost half of her blood and nearly died. The girl survived and is now an adult.

Case records from an Idaho appeals court case in 2001 note that Leach pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated battery.

"Evidence presented during the sentencing hearing showed that Leach suffers from schizoaffectic disorder with psychotic hallucinations, but that her illness is well controlled by medication and therapy. The district court imposed a unified 15-year sentence with a one-year minimum term, but suspended the sentence and placed Leach on probation. The conditions of probation included a requirement of continued psychiatric treatment and a requirement that Leach be in the company of a responsible adult 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Leach was found in violation of the terms of her probation and the court sent her to prison. Her scheduled release date is in June 2014; early release is reportedly for medical reasons.