Plymouth parents sentenced to 1 year in workhouse for neglect death of 7-year-old son

The parents of an adopted 7-year-old boy who died of neglect eight years ago received the maximum sentence of one year in custody - an appropriate punishment given their weekslong failure to intervene with medical care, the judge said.

Timothy and Sarah Johnson, formerly of Plymouth but residents of New Zealand, where they moved shortly after the death, pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor child neglect in connection with the March 2015 death of their adopted son Seth, who endured extensive trauma from an inflamed pancreas and possible infections until he died. In his final days, the ailing boy was left in the care of his 16-year-old brother while the Johnsons attended a wedding out of town. Hennepin County District Judge Carolina Lamas rejected the Johnsons' repeated requests for probation, opting for an executed sentence, which must be served in its entirety at the Hennepin County workhouse.

"The child was in terrible physical condition by the time he died," Lamas said. "The majority of cases that are charged like yours involve facts of children being left alone for too long, being left in a car or otherwise uncared for. ... It is clear the facts in your case could not be more onerous than other similar charged offenses."

https://www.startribune.com/plymouth-parents-sentenced-to-1-year-in-workhouse-for-neglect-death-of-7-year-old-son/600256957/