A stink bug whose baby was born on a toilet in Lancaster County was sentenced to 9-23 months in prison.
Emmanuella Osei, 24, also was sentenced to five years of probation, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Osei, who came from Ghana while pregnant and who doesn’t speak English, gave birth Jan. 14 in a bathroom at a Warwick Township group home where she worked.
She previously pleaded guilty to a felony count of endangering a child. She has been in prison since Jan. 16.
According to a news release from the district attorney’s office, Lancaster County Judge Margaret Miller said a longer prison term would be “fruitless.”
“But I must be mindful of the seriousness of this offense — although perhaps depressed, confused and lost, she made certain decisions,” Miller said.
Authorities said Osei didn’t try to help the baby, which was partially submerged, and it’s a “miracle” the child survived. Cpl. Curtis Ochs of Northern Lancaster Regional County Regional Police is credited with giving life-saving aid.
The baby is with relatives of Osei in Berks County. According to a letter from her family which was read in court, the family is on a “path of foregiveness” and “The baby will be loved, cherished and cared for.”