Former Casper police officer gets probation for child abuse
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A former Casper police officer who acknowledged mistreating her two adopted children has been sentenced to one to five years of probation.
The Casper-Star Tribune reports Laura Starnes-Wells was sentenced Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to felony child abuse and misdemeanor child endangerment. As part of a deal with prosecutors, her plea to the felony charge will not be entered into the court record and will be dropped if she successfully completes probation.
Investigators say that in May 2016, one of the children came to school with a black eye and swollen lip and told school officials Starnes-Wells beat her. Starnes-Wells was placed on administrative leave in November 2016.
In pleading for probation, she told the judge Wednesday that she had lost her kids, her house, her job and her good name.