Mother Gets 2 Years Probation for Putting Baby in Freezer and Closing the Lid

Image of a child's hand. Rita E/Pixabay

A Tennessee mother who put her baby inside a freezer and closed the lid has been given two years of probation.

Brittany Smith faced felony charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect in Washington County court on Jan. 15. She was accused of putting the baby in the freezer the week prior, according to WJHL.

A witness told police officers that he saw the 19-year-old mother place the 8-month-old baby into an unused freezer in the backyard of a house that wasn’t hers.

The mother on Monday pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of child neglect only, instead of aggravated child abuse.

Judge Stacy Street sentenced Smith to two years of probation, reported WCYB.

Police: Mother Cursed and Threw 10-Month-Old Against Fence Because He Couldn’t Stand

A mother in Florida was arrested after allegedly cursing and throwing her 10-month-old baby against a wooden fence at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 11.

Pinellas Park Police Department said Natalee Sesler, 25 of New Port Richey abused her baby because she was annoyed that he was unable to stand up, reported WFTS.

The mother is facing multiple charges, including child abuse, child neglect, assault, resisting an officer, and violation of probation.

When authorities arrived at the home in Pinellas Park, they found the child wearing a shirt with no diaper or pants. The police talked with two juveniles in the area who witnessed the incident.

Police said Sesler was also accused of attempting to throw the head of a metal rake at her baby, police said. The rake missed the child, and the mother then picked up the incessantly crying baby by the leg and tossed him on a lawn chair, reported ABC 15.

The police said the baby looked malnourished and had bruising and swelling near one of his eyes. The mother appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found Sesler also wearing just a shirt. She was visiting an unknown male in the area.

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The baby was taken to a local hospital for observation and then handed over to other family members, according to WFMY.

The mother is in custody in the Pinellas County Jail, according to the police.

Child Abuse in the United States

An estimated, 700,000 children are abused in the country every year. Around 1,670 children died due to child abuse in the country in 2015, according to the National Children’s Alliance.

In the same year, children advocacy groups served 311,000 cases of child abuse around the nation, whereas 683,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect.

“Households in which participants suffer from alcoholism, substance abuse, or anger issues demonstrate higher occurrences of child abuse as compared to households without,” according to Psychology Today.

Child abuse is about actions that cause harm but it can also be about inactions that cause harm and that falls under neglect.

“Physical abuse involves non-accidental harming of a child by, for example, burning, beating, or breaking bones. Verbal abuse involves harming a child by, for example, belittling them or threatening physical or sexual acts. Emotional trauma can result from several forms of abuse,” reported Psychology Today.