So, a methhead slut smokes up while she has her kids, passes out, the youngest dies, and the judge gives mom “probation” for fear of ruining the lives of the other children.
Jessica Kasten could have gone to prison for 15 years for neglecting her baby boy while she slept off a methamphetamine high in Wausau, allowing the child to die by asphyxiation.
She could have spent today, the first anniversary of 6-month-old Gavin’s death, behind bars.
But Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Brady said Friday he couldn’t bring himself to separate the 26-year-old Kasten from her two other toddlers or to ignore the significant changes she was making in her life. He sentenced her to 10 years of probation on a felony charge of neglecting a child, causing death.
“I owe it to the two surviving children, who are victims in this case, to not ruin their lives,” said Brady, who acknowledged that the case was one of the most troubling of his career and made sleep difficult Thursday night.
Kasten pleaded no contest to the charge Dec. 12 in a deal with prosecutors. She has served about three months in jail.
Kasten called police April 5, 2007, after discovering her infant son, Gavin Fochs, was not breathing. Kasten told police she had used methamphetamine, then slept for about 18 hours before finding her lifeless son, according to a police report.
Police say the infant was propped up in a bassinet with a pillow, and a bottle was held in place by a blanket.
Two other children found inside the home, now ages 2 and 3, were found covered in soot from a pot that was allowed to burn on a stove. They stayed with Kasten’s father, Terry, while Kasten was in jail and after she was released on bond.
DeeAnn Westerhaus, a Marathon County social worker assigned to the case days after the death, told Brady that Kasten had improved her parenting skills and maintained a connection with her children, even when they visited her in jail.
A social worker will continue to work with Kasten for at least one year, Westerhaus said.
Kasten showed remorse for choosing drugs over responsibility.
“Someday, I’ll have to explain this to my two living children,” Kasten said through tears while reading a statement.
Kasten’s attorney, public defender Mike Moran, said she will continue to work full time and has been accepted into the residential building program at Northcentral Technical College.
“To say she has not accepted responsibility or (does not) feel guilty is absolutely wrong,” Moran said.
That is the most ridiculous of all of the ridiculous sentences I’ve heard in a loooong time. The kids? What if they are the next to die at this irresponsible woman’s hands? The judge should be absolutely ashamed with himself.
Fucking ridiculous.
