BATON ROUGE, LA: “Sinister and despicable” woman sentenced to 40 years for child abuse

BATON ROUGE, LA (AP) –

A 25-year-old woman has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in a child abuse case involving her 20-month-old stepson.

A Baton Rouge judge labeled Charlotte Staggs “sinister and despicable” before handing down the sentence in the case from 2009.

State District Judge Mike Erwin, who presided over the trial, said Wednesday he tried to find a reason why he should not give Staggs the maximum possible 40-year sentence.

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