VISTA -- The wife of an Escondido Lutheran pastor pleaded not guilty during her arraignment Tuesday to charges stemming from an alleged attempt last week to drown her two young daughters.

Kristen Kaye Lawson, 30, who was led into a Vista courtroom wearing jail-issued clothes and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, appeared serious but calm during the brief hearing.

Lawson was arraigned on two counts per child of felony child abuse and assault, said Deputy District Attorney Marnie Stein.

Police arrested Lawson on Thursday on suspicion of attempted murder while her husband was out of town with their 5-year-old son.

Stein said Tuesday that the evidence did not support the charge of attempted murder.

If convicted on the other counts, Lawson would face a sentence of up to 7 years and 4 months in prison, Stein said.

Lawson's bail was set at $250,000, which Stein said was a standard amount for such cases.

The proceeding before Superior Court Judge Adrienne Orfield, which took less than five minutes, was attended by a group of about 40 supporters, including Lawson's husband, the Rev. Robert Lawson Jr. of St. Paul Lutheran Church, her parents, congregation members and other pastors. Some sat in the crowded courtroom, and some stood at the back.

"The defendant placed her 6-year-old child and her 5-month-old child under the water in the bathtub," Stein said outside the courtroom, repeating a statement she made during the hearing.

Stein said she could not provide further details in the case because it is still under investigation.

Police reports show that on Thursday, a crying and distraught Lawson called police to report that her 5-month-old daughter had drowned; dispatchers could hear an infant crying in the background. When police arrived at the cul-de-sac home on Derringer Place, they found both children upset, but alive.

Neither of the two young girls suffered any lasting physical damage from the alleged attempted drownings, Stein said.

Defense attorney William Wolfe said Tuesday that Lawson, who was ordered by Orfield not to have any contact with her children, was not doing well.

"She's devastated. She's sad. She's just trying to figure out what happened. She completely misses her children and her children miss her," Wolfe said.

The children have made her cards and drawings that say they miss her and want her to come home, Wolfe said.

He said that due to the judge's order that prohibits her from any contact, Lawson won't be able to see any of those cards and drawings.

Wolfe said Lawson's only focus right now is how her children are doing and reuniting with her family.

"She'll do what it takes to get back to them. That's all that matters to her," he said.

At the end of the arraignment, supporters walked out in a group. They hugged each other outside the courthouse. Some said they were praying for the Lawsons.

A woman from the group said many of the people were from the Lawsons' church, but that pastors and members from other local Lutheran churches also attended to show their support.

"She's got an absolutely tremendous support base," Wolfe said. "This woman is adored … they realize this is not her."

Last week, neighbors from the Lawsons' east Escondido neighborhood said Kristen Lawson was affectionate to her children and very protective of them.

- Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com.