PULASKI, Va. – A Virginia man whose 5-year-old son was found dead in a septic tank was been sentenced to a year and three months in jail for child abuse and neglect.
Multiple media outlets reported that 32-year-old Paul Thomas entered an Alford plea on two counts Wednesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges sufficient evidence for a conviction.
Noah Thomas and his infant sister were left alone while their mother, 31-year-old Ashley White, drove their father to work last March. White said Noah disappeared after she returned home and took a nap. The boy's body was found four days later in a septic tank near his Dublin home.
White was convicted last month of three counts of abuse and neglect. She will be sentenced May 16.
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