A 40-year-old Northern California woman was sentenced on Sept. 12 to 10 years in state prison for the fentanyl overdose death of her infant boy, authorities said.

Christy Ann Scarbrough of Chico, a city 85 miles north of Sacramento, received the maximum sentence under California law from Judge Kristen Lucena after pleading no contest to causing the death of her son on his first birthday, according to a press release from Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

“While the sentence today is not enough because an infant lost his life, it is the maximum allowed by California law and serves as a reminder of the consequences of fentanyl use,” Ramsey said in the release.

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The district attorney said Scarbrough found her son face down and unresponsive in his crib on the evening of July 6, 2023. The boy appeared blue, and she immediately took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Chico Police found a straw in the baby’s crib that tested positive for fentanyl. A straw is commonly used to ingest fentanyl, a potent opioid. […]