A Dothan woman accused in the automobile heat death of her 4-year old son is getting out of jail almost a year after her arrest. Bond for Stephanie Coogle, 23, was reduced from $200,000 to $10,000. She was expected to be released from the Houston County Jail Thursday night.
The 95% bond reduction for Coogle---accused of manslaughter---comes less than two months after her common law husband, Christopher Aldrige, was found not guilty by a jury on a similar charge. The reduction could also signal a possible plea agreement. Her trial, set for next week, is expected to be delayed though court records don't yet reflect a postponement.
Shawn Aldridge is believed to have spent up to nine hours trapped inside an SUV parked outside the home shared by Coogle and Aldridge. The child's death occurred in June, 2011 as temperatures reached the 90's.
Police say the interior door handles of the automobile were missing---leaving the boy trapped after he climbed inside. Shawn's body was discovered by Aldridge after realizing his son was missing.During trial, the attorney for Aldridge argued that his client thought Shawn with down the street with his mother. Coogle apparently thought her son was with his father. Both Aldridge and Coogle are believed to have been under the influence of narcotics at the time.
