Mesa mom sentenced for leaving 2-year-old son in closet

MESA, AZ - A Mesa woman was sentenced in a Phoenix courtroom Friday after her 2-year-old son was found locked in a bedroom closet in January by an official serving an eviction notice.

Corinna May Davis, 21, was sentenced to 14 years of supervised probation for one count of child abuse by Judge Connie Contes.

Earlier this year, Sgt. Ed Wessing said a Mesa justice court constable went to the apartment near Longmore Street and Pecos Road to serve the eviction notice.

When no one answered the door, the constable went inside to secure the apartment and lock the residents out and as he checked for occupants, he noticed a chair against the bedroom door preventing it from being opened from the inside.

When he went into the bedroom, the constable found the 2-year-old boy in the closet sleeping on a mattress.

Wessing said officers were called and they noticed the boy had bruises on his face, ears and hip. He also had a chipped tooth and bruised lip.

The boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Wessing said the injuries were not serious.

Police say that around 5:30 p.m. a man arrived at the apartment and said he was there to take care of his girlfriend's son. He reportedly told police that his girlfriend, Davis, left for work at 4:30 p.m. and left the child locked in the closet.

The man told police he was stuck in traffic and it took him longer to get there than he expected, according to Wessing.

Wessing said Davis admitted to leaving her son in the closet while she went to work, saying that her boyfriend told her he'd be home in 20 minutes.

She apparently also admitted to spanking her son with her hand, causing the bruises on his hip. Police say she denied any other abuse.

Police say the woman's boyfriend is not the boy's father.

The 2-year-old was taken by Child Protective Services.