Mom Gets Prison for Abandoning Toddlers

(Kallispell, Montana) In September 2007, a 24-year-old local woman, Rachel (aka Rachael) O'Brien, was arrested for abandoning her two young children in squalid conditions for nearly nine hours.

The children, a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old, were home alone from 11AM on August 4th, when O'Brien went to work, until after 8PM even though she finished work at 4:30PM. Authorities found the home to be filthy and in dangerous disarray for toddlers. O'Brien claimed that she knew her children would be a mess and need baths so she didn't go home. O'Brien was charged with two counts of felony endangerment.

In the latest development this week, O'Brien has been convicted and sentenced.

O'Brien pleaded guilty in September to two counts of criminal endangerment for neglecting her daughters, ages 2 and 3. She was sentenced to two 10-year prison sentences, both with five years suspended, to run concurrently.

In a plea agreement, she also pleaded guilty to felony theft for stealing jewelry while she was employed as a housekeeper in 2006. She received a concurrent five-year term for the theft.

Her guilty pleas also revoked her probation on a 2004 conviction for writing bad checks. She was re-sentenced to a five-year prison term on that charge, also to run concurrently.

So, if my math is correct, O'Brien will be working off four five-year sentences at the same time. Shucks! She's probably upset that she didn't rob a few banks while she was at it.

Neglect of a two-year-old -- five years. Neglect of a three-year-old -- the same five years. Felony theft -- the same five years. Probation violation on bad check conviction -- the same five years. It appears that the Montana justice system has instituted a five-year plan to minimize prison populations.

By the way, the toddlers are with their father.

Tip: Don Morgenstern