This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake City woman will have to complete parenting classes and probation after her epileptic son drowned in a bathtub because he had not been taking his anti-seizure medication and was left unattended.
April Ann Baker, 32, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a reduced count of third-degree felony attempted child abuse homicide in connection with the February 2011 death of her 10-year-old son, Braedon. The woman admitted to not giving her son his prescribed medication, but said she twice checked on the boy while he was in the tub.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend probation instead of jail time, and called the sentence justice for an avoidable death.
According to court documents, a doctor had given Baker "strong" warnings against leaving her son alone in the bathtub. But on Feb. 20, according to court documents, Baker said she told Braedon to take a bath while she and her brother made dinner, according to court documents. After 15 minutes, Baker told police she heard "tapping" that lasted a minute, court documents state. Five minutes later, Baker's brother went to check on the boy, who was underwater and had turned "blue."
Medical officials determined Braedon had gone about four days without receiving his anti-seizure medication, court documents state. April Baker reportedly told police she had forgotten to give the boy his medication.