https://archive.is/5BCem
>A North Carolina woman will not serve prison time after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old son, who froze to death on the front porch of their home after she “passed out” on drugs.
>Jamie Lyn Basinger, 24, of Morganton, received a suspended sentence of 19 to 32 months with 3 years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in connection to the death of Landyn Melton in March, the Charlotte Observer reports.
>A judge on Monday also ordered Basinger, who spent eight months in jail after being charged in April, to comply with all conditions of a substance abuse assessment, perform 72 hours of community service and adhere to all orders from the Department of Social Services regarding her other child, according to the newspaper.
>Prosecutors said Basinger’s usage of methamphetamine two days before the child’s death, as well as smoking marijuana the night before, led to the boy’s death.
>The boy was found dead on March 15 — one day after celebrating his third birthday — after a neighbor called police to report a toddler lying outside on the porch, the Morganton News Herald reports. Basinger’s boyfriend, Joshua Steffey, answered the door before getting Basinger from inside the residence. Both Steffey and Basinger later admitted to smoking meth two days earlier and marijuana the night before, Lippert said.