A woman who left a boy in the woods has been sentenced to community service instead of prison time
Dunbar: So, there’s this wild story about a woman named Ashley McGovern. She left her nine-year-old son in the woods and claimed he was missing. Crazy, right?
It all went down on September 9, 2022, when she drove him to Brock Wood. She just left him there overnight without proper clothes, food, or water. The poor kid went through a terrifying experience.
After ditching him, she lied to the police and everyone else about what happened. Before this, she had also exposed him to drugs and alcohol. Not cool at all.
Fast forward to November, and she pleaded guilty to some serious charges, including neglect. The judge was pretty stern about it, saying these were really serious offenses.
But here’s the twist: instead of sending her to prison, the judge gave her a three-year community payback order. She has to do 300 hours of unpaid work and check in regularly.
The judge mentioned that she had some mental health issues, which got worse during the pandemic. He noted that she seemed genuinely sorry for what she did and had been working on getting off drugs.
He warned her that if she messes up this community service, she could end up back in court facing prison time. McGovern was emotional during the hearing, and her lawyer pointed out how tough her situation has been.
It’s a sad case all around, and it really makes you think about the struggles people face.
