A Nicholson woman was sentenced to 12 months probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and to provide 200 hours of community service Monday morning in the September 2008 death of an infant in her foster care.
Wendy Osborne, 30, was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor charge, in the death of 9-month-old Jessica Scovil.
The sentence was a negotiated plea between district attorney Brad Smith and Osborne’s attorney. Smith told Judge Bob Adamson, a retired senior judge who presided at the hearing, that he recommended the 12 months probation. Adamson added the monetary fine and community service, which are the maximum that can be given in misdemeanor charges such as this.
Jessica died of heat stroke after having been left in Osborne’s van at her home on Hwy. 334 near Nicholson. Osborne had returned home around 2 p.m. Sept. 2 and taken two 3-year-old children into the house, leaving Jessica in the closed van. Around 5 p.m., Osborne awoke from a nap and realized the baby was still in the vehicle. She found the baby unresponsive and called 911, according to authorities.
