Woman sentenced to 10 years for leaving baby in garbage can
Sep 28, 2012, 5:43 AM | Updated: 6:47 am
A young woman from South Bend will spend a decade in prison for leaving her newborn baby in a hospital garbage can.
Jasmin Ritchey hadn’t told anyone she was pregnant. When she went to the hospital in Olympia for an unrelated injury in July she gave birth in a bathroom and put the baby in a plastic bag and in the trash. Hospital staff found it, and the newborn survived.
The Olympian reports 24-year-old Ritchey apologized through tears at her sentencing on Thursday saying she can never forgive herself. She had previously pleaded guilty to first degree assault of a child in exchange for not facing attempted murder charges.
The judge sentenced Ritchey to more time than the attorneys on both sides had recommended.
Washington has a law that allows mothers to drop-off newborns at fire stations or hospitals within three days of birth without facing any charges.
