Parents sentenced to up to nine years in daughter’s death
Tammy Bohon
Tammy Bohon (left) and Robert Dodson of Point Marion each face 4 ½ to 9 years in prison for their roles in the death of their daughter, 15-month-old Madison Dodson.
The parents of a Point Marion baby who died of malnourishment and dehydration were each sentenced to 4 ½ to 9 years in prison Thursday in Fayette County Court.
Robert Dodson, 57, and Tammy Bohon, 37, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children earlier this year in the Jan. 5, 2011, death of their daughter, 15-month-old Madison Dodson.
During separate plea hearings in September, both acknowledged that they neglected their daughter, who needed a feeding tube. Robert Dodson, represented by attorney Jack W. Connor, admitted he went to sleep knowing that his daughter was ill.
Bohon, represented by attorney Dianne Zerega, told Judge Steve P. Leskinen that she knew how ill her daughter was when she left their home.
State police have said Bohon spent the night that her daughter died smoking crack cocaine in Masontown. When Robert Dodson woke up, he told police he found his daughter dead. The baby was sleeping on the living room floor, amongst animal feces and garbage.
Madison Dodson’s pediatrician previously testified that the baby had medical issues, including a developmental problem with one of her lungs and a need to get some food through a feeding tube, but said the baby would not have required an inordinate amount of care.
“Unfortunately, the evidence was that the parents knew of her severe health problems and should have called for assistance from 911, taken the child to the hospital or any number of things that could have been done to save the child’s life,” Leskinen said. “They most certainly were on notice that the child should have been taken for medical care.”
Although the sentence was above the aggravated range of the guidelines, Leskinen noted that the jail term was part of plea bargain and resulted in Bohon and Robert Dodson receiving “considerably less time that what (they) would be looking at if a jury would’ve convicted (them) of third-degree murder.” Such a conviction comes with a potential penalty of 20 to 40 years behind bars.
At the time both entered their guilty pleas, Leskinen told the parents that they could permanently lose custody of their other children because of the convictions. Those other children were placed in foster care by Children and Youth Services after Madison Dodson’s death.
Leskinen allowed both Robert Dodson and Bohon to remain in the county prison until a dependency hearing is held next month.