Grandma confesses to getting drunk and leaving her baby grandchild in a roadside ditch on a cold, windy, and wet Minnesota day. However, the 53-year-old grandmother in the North Star State will not have to do any extra time in prison.
Anastasia E. Vaughn was sentenced to 45 days in jail by Otter Tail County District Judge Michael D. Fritz on Tuesday. However, the sentence was suspended for two years, allowing Vaughn to make up the time by performing 492 hours of community service within a year, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
Following an agreement with prosecutors, Vaughn pled guilty to one count of endangering a child in a circumstance that could cause death or harm, a severe misdemeanor, which resulted in the sentence. After completing her community service, she will be placed on probation for another two years and required to pay $585 in penalties and court expenses.
Shoeless grandma who left infant in roadside ditch on rainy day, ran away, then told cops she was ‘looking for a child’ after day drinking learns her fate https://t.co/zLnchCbPck
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Vaughn had been subject to a fine of up to $3,000 and a maximum of 364 days in prison. According to a probable cause document, the incident occurred Tuesday, October 29, 2024, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, approximately 175 miles northwest of Minneapolis, as previously reported by Law&Crime.
Around 4:30 p.m., according to the authorities, a driver called the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office to ask for a welfare check on a baby. As per reports, a guy was driving along Cedar Park Loop close to Swan Lake when he noticed a woman, subsequently identified as Vaughn, strolling in a wooded area next to the road while holding a baby.
The driver reported that the woman had no shoes on, even though it was pouring, windy, and only around fifty degrees outside. The woman informed the man that she and the child were “fine” when he stopped to talk to her, and she continued to walk.
The woman was stumbling, had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol coming from her, according to police.
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After a little while, the man stopped and said that he saw the woman fleeing from a ditch by the side of the road, and she didn’t seem to be holding the infant. Sources say, the baby was discovered on the ground in the ditch by the driver who went to investigate. According to sources, he picked up the baby and dialed 911.
Sheriff’s deputies reported that when they arrived, they saw Vaughn strolling through the woods close to the ditch where the infant had been abandoned. Vaughn smelled of alcohol, slurred her words when speaking, and seemed to stumble when walking, according to deputies. It was also noted that her eyes were wet and bloodshot.
Although Vaughn allegedly seemed uncertain, authorities promptly recognized her as the baby’s grandmother. Vaughn “seemed confused and said she was looking for a child but was unable to answer specific questions,” according to the deputies’ report.
“She said she did not remember what happened and when asked how much she had to drink she would not say,” the affidavit states. When Vaughn’s husband, the child’s grandfather, showed up at the site, he informed the police that he and his wife lived close by and that Vaughn had consumed alcohol that day. After taking a breathalyzer test, Vaughn’s blood alcohol level was found to be 0.229, which is over three times the legal limit in Minnesota for drivers.
