AUGUSTA — Two parents pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges Monday in separate cases heard at the Capital Judicial Center.

One is Christopher Norwood, 32, of Augusta, whose 2-year-old son nearly drowned in the Kennebec River Sept. 16. The child was pulled from the river by a passer-by.

The other defendant is Karen Lea, 41, of Augusta, the mother of a 3-year-old girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Oct. 4.

Both charges are misdemeanors and carry maximum penalties of 364 days in jail.

Judge Tom Nale set personal recognizance bail for each with conditions that prohibit them from contact with children under age 10.

Both defendants are scheduled for their next court hearings March 14, 2017.

After Augusta police investigated the near-drowning at the East Side Boat Landing, they charged Norwood Sept. 27.

Deputy Chief Jared Mills said Norwood was “at a location far enough away that he could not provide the proper care to ensure the safety of a 2-year-old child.” Mills also said the boy was doing well, and that the state Department of Health and Human Services was involved in the investigation and working to ensure the safety of the boy.

Lea was charged several days after the Oct. 4 incident, which began when Augusta Fire and Rescue personnel were called to a Sewall Street apartment for a suspected overdose. Lenore Wilson, Leas’s daughter, disappeared while emergency personnel were responding to the call. Police said the child was believed to be with Fatima Gissentaner, 26, who is an acquaintance, and her boyfriend. The Amber Alert was issued after Gissentaner failed to drop off the child with police when requested. Lenore was dropped off that evening by a person who was acquainted with Gissentaner.

Mills in early October said the girl was doing well and that the state Department of Health and Human Services would decide where the girl would stay.

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