Woman Who Gave Birth on Hillside to Face Trial : Courts: An infant born outdoors to the homeless woman had a perilously low temperature, according to testimony.

A homeless woman who gave birth to a baby girl last month in a hillside camp above Thousand Oaks will stand trial on a charge of felony child endangerment, a Municipal Court judge decided Tuesday.

Maria Gabriela Haulica, 36, was arrested Nov. 19 because paramedics concluded that the life of the shivering, blood-smeared infant was in danger, prosecutors say.

Judge Bruce A. Clark ruled that Haulica, a Romanian immigrant who has been in custody on $5,000 bail since her arrest, could be released on a promise to appear at her trial, scheduled for Dec. 22.

Until then, Haulica will stay at the Thousand Oaks apartment of Pablo Angel, the father of her child. It was Angel who twice called paramedics for help the night Haulica gave birth.

Angel, who told investigators that he had repeatedly urged Haulica to seek prenatal care during her pregnancy, first called paramedics to the woman’s camp about midnight on Nov. 18 as the woman was undergoing labor.

Haulica managed to hide her pain and declined medical care at the time, only to give birth several hours later. Angel again called for medical help in the morning, saying later that he was worried about the child’s health, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Michael C. Powers, who investigated the case.

After the infant’s arrival at Westlake Medical Center, medical personnel measured her body temperature at a dangerously low 91.7 degrees, said Powers, who was the only witness called by Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice Davis-Koenig.

Dr. Alex Kallas, an emergency room physician who examined the infant, said the low body temperature was more dangerous for a baby than for an adult because of a baby’s lower body weight, Powers testified.

The doctor “said he believed the baby’s life was in danger, not only by the temperature but because the umbilical cord was still attached and the susceptibility to clinical infection,” Powers said.

“Baby Haulica was very lucky to be alive, in his opinion,” Powers testified, referring to the physician’s comments.

On cross-examination by Deputy Public Defender Susan R. Olson, Powers acknowledged that paramedics and hospital personnel had described the infant’s condition as stable.

The deputy also acknowledged that the paramedics left the baby inside the ambulance for about half an hour while they tried to persuade Haulica to accompany them to the hospital. On an admitting report at the hospital, the baby’s skin was described as pink and her condition summed up as stable, Olson said.

In summary remarks to the judge, Olson also contended that Haulica, who lived on the rocky hillside above Thousand Oaks Boulevard for a year, had attempted to keep her infant warm by bundling her in three layers of clothes.

Pointing out that Haulica had named the infant Danna, Olson said her client had not displayed the indifference or gross neglect needed to establish criminal negligence.

“She may have made a mistake in judgment, maybe because of emotional difficulties, but I don’t believe this is a criminal case,” Olson said after the hearing.

The baby is now in foster care under the authority of Child Protective Services.