Malnourished 20-month old ingested fingernail polish remover
A Baton Rouge judge labeled a 25-year-old woman "sinister and despicable" before sentencing her to 40 years in prison in a 2009 child cruelty case involving her then-20-month-old stepson.
The Advocate reports an East Baton Rouge Parish jury deliberated just 15 minutes Oct. 25 before unanimously finding Charlotte Staggs guilty of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile.
The boy was rushed to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in August 2009 after ingesting fingernail polish remover. Medical personnel testified at Staggs' trial that the child was severely malnourished and dehydrated, had bruises and scrapes on his body.
State District Judge Mike Erwin, who presided over the trial, said he tried to find a reason why he should not give Staggs the maximum possible 40-year sentence.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
