Cranbrook babysitter sentenced for toddler's death
Tammy Bouvette, 28, pleaded guilty to criminal negligence for 2011 death
A woman convicted in the death of a Cranbrook toddler has been sentenced to two years in jail for criminal negligence causing death.
Tammy Bouvette, 28, was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was reduced when she pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death.
The incident happened in May 2011, when Bouvette, a mother of four children herself, was babysitting a friend's 19-month-old baby, Iyanna Teeple.
Bouvette told the court the child fell face down out of a booster seat, so she gave her a bath to clean her up and soothe her. She then left the room for five minutes and when she returned the baby was face down unconscious in the tub.
On Thursday morning, Bouvette was sentenced to a year in jail for the negligence and another year for an unrelated gas station robbery attempt.
The judge noted she is remorseful and the mother of the baby did not blame Bouvette or seek any kind of revenge. The sentence means Bouvette will only spend about another six months in jail because of time already served.