The arrests of the owner and a midwife at a Fort Collins birthing center came following an investigation into the death of a newborn at the facility in February, according to a state health department investigation report.
Tender Gifts Birth and Wellness Center owner Althea Hrdlichka and certified professional midwife Brecklen Ables were arrested Sept. 1 on charges of tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant, according to online court records. Hrdlichka has also been charged with forgery.
Arrest documents in the case are sealed, but Fort Collins Police Services spokesperson J Gilmore previously told the Coloradoan that police responded to a 911 call to Tender Gifts Birth and Wellness Center in February in response to a "distressed newborn" who had just been delivered.
A Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment investigation report says the baby's mother was in active labor when she arrived at the facility Feb. 8, 2026, but the baby was born not breathing more than 10 hours later.
The baby also had "shoulder dystocia (a birth complication where an infant's shoulder gets stuck during vaginal delivery preventing the infant from getting through the birth canal)." The report states the birth team, who are not identified by name in the report, immediately began resuscitation efforts and called 911.
The report stated that "findings and trends were identified regarding the differences in emergency medical services (EMS) and facility protocols during a neonatal resuscitation event" during the March investigation into the baby's death.
The state inspection came following "complaints (the state) received about Tender Gifts Midwifery Fort Collins between February 2026 to March 2026," state health department public affairs and communications specialist Alexandrea Kallin said.
While state investigators reported that staff appeared to be monitoring the fetal heart rate during this birth too infrequently, investigators later determined staff had been monitoring appropriately but there was an issue with the tracking software not saving entries.
However, state investigators determined that while there was an issue with the tracking software, "the facility failed to ensure fetal heart tones (FHT) were assessed in accordance with facility policy and minimum practice requirements during 'active labor' in the care of a patient on 2/8/26."
The state found that the internal review falsely found there were no quality issues with the care provided in this case, according to the report, and state investigators said they were concerned that the facility's internal review "did not identify the gaps in the chart documenting the FHT (fetal heart tones) taken throughout the client's labor."
State investigators also criticized the staff's internal review of the infant's death because the review was done by staff who were involved in or were overseeing the birth instead of by an objective third party.
The state report notes police involvement in the case, saying: "The circumstances of that birth were highly unusual, in that the police department seized the client's records at the time of the hospital transfer for investigation of the care provided."
Police "uncovered a similar incident in 2025, as well as evidence of forgery and tampering" while investigating the February incident, Gilmore said in an email Sept 2.
Hrdlichka and Ables are next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 15.
The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies is also conducting an investigation into Hrdlichka and Ables, agency spokesperson Sarah Werner told the Coloradoan on Sept. 2. Werner declined to comment further citing the active investigation. Gilmore said the DORA investigation is being conducted alongside the police investigation "using evidence gathered by Fort Collins Police."
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Infant death sparked investigation into Fort Collins birth center