A mother from the Yakima area of Washington has been sentenced to spend nine months in prison after failing to ensure her son received dental treatment.
The woman, who has been named as Kathren Ann Carter, was convicted of neglecting her adopted disabled son after he was found with severe dental abscesses as well as other oral health conditions caused by widespread tooth decay. The case was first opened back in 2008 and the child was subsequently placed with a foster family; this week Ms Carter was found guilty of the charges of mistreatment.
At the Yakima County Superior Court last month, prosecutors accused the child’s mother of neglecting her child and failing to get him the necessary medical treatment for a period of a year; because of the child’s developmental disorders, prosecutors suggested that he wouldn’t be able to complain about any pain or discomfort he was suffering.
In response to the allegations, Ms Carter’s defence stated that she had struggled to cope since the death of her husband but had no intention of hurting the child; she also had no idea about the extent of the pain caused by the conditions her adopted son was suffering, according to her lawyer. She had also been having financial troubles and was unable to afford the cost of medical care and transport to take her son to appointments.
Now, legal proceedings are taking place to remove parental rights from Kathren Carter, as the boy settles in to life with a new foster family. His new foster mother slammed claims that Ms Carter couldn’t afford her son’s medical care by suggesting she was entitled to use coupons given out by the State for his dental care.
Kathren Carter will now spend three months in jail and a further six months on tag at her home.
