SEATTLE – A mother who snuck her ailing baby out of a Seattle hospital in a diaper bag to prevent him from having court-ordered surgery pleaded guilty Thursday to a reduced charge of second-degree custodial interference.
King County prosecutors had originally charged Tina Carlsen, 34, with kidnapping.
The state took custody of 10-month-old Riley Rogers in early June, after Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center went to court to override his mother’s wishes to use “natural” treatments for the child’s poorly functioning kidneys.
Carlsen took her son from Children’s on June 22, hoping to keep doctors from performing surgery to prepare him for dialysis.
She and the baby were found two days later in Thurston County, and Carlsen was charged in King County Superior Court with second-degree domestic violence kidnapping. Riley later underwent surgery to insert a catheter that will allow him to have dialysis.
When the arrest warrant was issued and the kidnapping charge was filed, authorities didn’t know where Carlsen was or whether she had any intention of harming Riley, county senior deputy prosecutor Lisa Johnson said Thursday.
After learning more about the medical conflict, Johnson said, prosecutors determined a reduced charge was warranted. Johnson also noted that Carlsen has followed all court orders since her arrest.
Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a one-year suspended sentence as long as Carlsen undergoes a psychological evaluation, complies with all conditions and does not prevent her son from undergoing dialysis treatments.
Carlsen did not comment after Thursday’s hearing, but her attorney, Michelle Shaw, said pleading guilty was difficult for her because she thought she was doing what was best for the child.
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