Parents found not guilty after taking their infant to Downtown bar

The parents of a 7-month-old girl were found not guilty of neglect and public intoxication charges after a June 19 arrest outside a Downtown bar about 1 a.m.

A Marion Superior Court jury on Thursday found Mobile, Ala., residents Shari Tremba, 42, and Michael Trosclair, 45, innocent of charges that stemmed from an incident outside Wild Beaver Saloon on East Maryland Street.

Witnesses told police that Tremba had been offering sex to people who would go inside and get her beer, that she had left the baby unattended to go inside the bar to buy more beer and that she had been seen drinking while breastfeeding, court documents said.

The couple's attorney, Marc Lopez, in a news release said other witness testimony contradicted most of those accounts.

"After 263 days of silence and public shame, we are grateful for the verdict of 'Not Guilty,'" Tremba and Trosclair said in a written statement. "This verdict contributes to our continued healing from the loss and emotional pain caused by this incident. We now look forward to expressing the true story of who we are and what happened."

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Tremba, who police say never denied breastfeeding the child at the bar, tested at 0.193 percent blood alcohol content, according to court documents. The legal limit for driving in Indiana is 0.08 percent.

The baby was taken into DCS custody and later checked at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health but showed no signs of intoxication, according to court documents. No other signs of neglect were noted.

Lopez said the couple were in town for a financial industry convention and were walking past the bar when Trosclair heard that a colleague was inside. 

The child was outside the bar with Tremba and two other adult caretakers when someone called police to report that Tremba was being neglectful, Lopez said.

"The only thing that any person saw Shari do was consume one 10-ounce beer," the news release said. 

Neither Tremba nor Trosclair disputed that they became agitated with police once the child was removed from her custody. 

Lopez said the jury debated for less than 20 minutes before returning with a verdict.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.