Pa. Teen Sentenced For Abandoning Baby In Trash Bag
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ELMIRA, N.Y. (AP) - A teenage mother who abandoned her infant daughter in a trash bag behind a New York home has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Harriette Hoyt of Sayre, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in exchange for the sentence Friday in Chemung County Court. Her lawyer, John Brennan, said Hoyt was very sorry and admits that her diagnosis of postpartum depression didn't excuse her actions.
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District Attorney Weeden Wetmore said the nine-year sentence was fair given Hoyt's lack of criminal history and need of mental health treatment.
Authorities say then-17-year-old Hoyt was visiting friends in Elmira on Aug. 5 when she left her 8-month-old baby outside in a plastic bag. Neighbors discovered the baby three days later.
The child spent 10 days in a Rochester hospital before being placed in foster care.
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