A Lexington Park woman has been sentenced to six months in the St. Mary’s County Detention Center after pleading guilty in November to “Neglect of a Minor.” St. Mary’s County Circuit Court Judge Karen Abrams on Friday imposed the sentence on Latoya Woodland, 26. The total sentence was three years but she suspended it down to the six months active time.
According to Assistant State’s Attorney Julie White said police arrived at Woodland’s home to serve a warrant and found her two children, now aged 4 and 5, alone in the house. Woodland was indicted in November of 2012.
Woodland’s attorney, Public defender Sean Moran argued that Woodland had just gone down the street to get some milk and when she returned she saw the police there and was reluctant to go inside and have herself arrested in front of the children. Moran asked the judge just to impose probation as a sentence, saying she had only been in minor trouble previously – several traffic tickets and a misdemeanor theft charge.
Judge Abrams didn’t buy the argument. “They (the children) might have run out into the street and been hit by a car,” the judge said. She also observed that Woodland had previously lost custody of two older children. “You keep making bad judgments,” the judge told Woodland.
In imposing the sentence Judge Abrams ordered Woodland to get her GED diploma as a condition of probation. “Get a GED, get a job and taking care of business,” is what she told Woodland to do.
Judge Abrams did authorize Woodland to have work release if she can find a job. But the judge didn’t allow her request to postpone her incarceration because she had a babysitting commitment. “Something has gone terribly wrong in your life. You have to take responsibility at this time,” the judge told Woodland.
