Mendocino County plea deal in death of infant left by mother in car

A Humboldt County mother who left her 18-month-old son alone for hours in a hot car, where he died last month, has pleaded no contest to felony child endangerment, prosecutors said.

Alexandrea Raven Scott, 23, of Trinidad, agreed to a 10-year prison sentence under a plea deal offered by Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster. Scott also admitted a special sentencing enhancement alleging the abuse of her son was a proximate cause of the child’s death.

She is expected to be eligible for release to community supervision after serving three years of her term, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement announcing the July 19 plea agreement.

“If nothing else, I hope the stipulated prison time will send a message that those who abuse children should expect to be treated like the serious criminals they are,” Eyster said in a statement.

Scott was arrested June 20 after she brought her dead toddler to Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital. Detectives determined she had left her son in a car for more than 10 hours, with the windows rolled up, while she partied at a friend’s home in Willits from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Superior Court Judge John Behnke is scheduled to sentence Scott on Aug. 15.