Mother given 6 years for cruelty to 8-year-old son

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A Sioux Falls woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for locking her 8-year-old son in a bedroom for 19 hours.

Natalie Connot was charged with abuse and cruelty to a child as well as false imprisonment. Authorities say the boy was locked in the room last August without food, water or access to a bathroom while Connot and her boyfriend, Jeremey Harbert went to visit relatives. The child escaped the second-story room by jumping out of a window.

The Argus Leader says the boy was hospitalized for 10 days following the incident, in part suffering from malnutrition. Authorities say the apartment was filled with trash and junk. Harbert was also sentenced to six years in prison last March.

Connot’s son is expected to return to the custody of his grandmother.

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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com