Slain teenager's mother charged

The mother of a slain Whitpain Township teen turned herself in yesterday to face child-endangerment and drug charges.

Danielle Cattie, 34, the mother of Ebony Nicole Dorsey, faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child and two misdemeanor cocaine-related charges: possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.

The 14-year-old was found strangled and sexually assaulted Dec. 9.

The charges stem from Cattie's interview with police when she was trying to help them find her missing daughter.

Police allege that Mark P. O'Donnell, 48, of Plymouth Township, killed Dorsey early Dec. 7 while she babysat his 4-year-old daughter.

Dorsey was last seen alive the night of Dec. 6, when O'Donnell drove her to his home to babysit. He then spent that night with Dorsey's mother.

According to police, Cattie told them that she had snorted powdered cocaine while O'Donnell smoked crack, and that O'Donnell had been "wired" on crack when he left her home about 5:30 a.m.

According to court papers, O'Donnell returned to his home to find Dorsey changing the toddler's training pants and strangled the teen with her pajama bottoms. At his preliminary hearing, O'Donnell said he had killed the girl because she had molested his daughter. Prosecutors have dismissed that accusation.

Yesterday, Cattie arrived at the district court of John S. Murray III in Blue Bell about 8:40 a.m. She was not accompanied by any of her many friends and relatives.

She did not speak to reporters before or after the hearing.

The most serious charge is child endangerment, a felony that carries a maximum of 21/2 to five years in prison.

The maximums for the two misdemeanor drug charges range from one to three years.

A past drug conviction, however, could trigger a mandatory minimum sentence of up to five years in prison. Montgomery County Court records show that Cattie pleaded guilty in 1998 to felony possession of crack cocaine and was placed on five years' probation.

She was released yesterday on $10,000 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 28.