A judge jailed a woman this week after medical personnel discovered her newborn girl dead in a Safe Haven newborn Box in Blackfoot, Idaho, last year.
Angel Newberry of Twin Falls was sentenced to one year probation and ten hours of community service, according to KTVB. Newberry was 18 years old when she was arrested, and authorities claimed she failed to notify the death of her newborn baby.
“The probable cause affidavit, obtained by KTVB, said Newberry had given birth to the baby in her bathroom after hiding the pregnancy from her family,” according to the newspaper. “Court documents show Newberry never alerted law enforcement between the time she dropped off the baby at the baby box and being contacted by investigators after the baby was found dead.”
According to the story, Newberry was initially charged with a felony, but she pleaded guilty on Thursday, and her penalty was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Baby boxes were designed to dissuade parents from abandoning their newborns in dangerous situations, potentially causing them to perish.
Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators that are typically constructed into the outer walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals and can be accessed from within. At-risk women can safely and legally bring their newborns inside.
Once the infant is inside the baby box, the outside door closes, allowing the mother to depart before an alarm sounds, notifying first responders or hospital staff to the child’s existence.
The baby is then swiftly removed and transported to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the baby is usually placed in state custody and soon adopted.
According to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, healthy, uninjured children up to 30 days old can be surrendered to baby boxes or delivered in person to hospitals, fire stations, EMS providers, physicians, and nurses in Idaho.
