Mother Gets 2 Years for Leaving Baby Boy Alone for Days
A woman who abandoned her 14-month-old son for days, leaving him malnourished and suffering from diaper sores, was sentenced Friday to more than two years in prison.
Damon Jump was found last November by a police officer evacuating an apartment building because of a fire. He was so hungry he had sucked his thumb until it bled.
LaDawn Jump, 21, told investigators she left her son behind when she and her 2-year-old daughter moved in with a boyfriend because she was afraid the man would not accept Damon. She said she visited the baby every four or five days.
Eric Armstrong, the officer who found the baby, has said he almost dismissed the silent, motionless youngster as a doll. But as he prepared to leave the unit, he saw the baby’s eyes move.
“If that kid’s eyes didn’t move, he might have been left there,” Armstrong said.
Both Damon and his sister are now in permanent foster care, said Kathy Spears, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Social and Health Services.
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