Woman Who Tried to Drown Newborn in McDonald’s Toilet Escapes Jail Time

A California woman who tried to drown her newborn in a McDonald’s toilet received no jail time during sentencing this month.

Sarah Jane Lockner, 27, escaped jail time and was, instead, sentenced to four years of supervised probation on May 3 in the courtroom of San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt. Lockner will also be required to attend parenting classes, according to Fox 13.

Lockner was arrested in January on a charge of attempted murder but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of child endangerment.

Authorities arrested the suspect after she gave birth in the bathroom of a Redwood City, California, McDonald’s, where she worked as a cashier.

Fellow workers found a mass of blood on the floor of the bathroom, but Lockner reportedly told the worker she was having a heavy period. A concerned employee reported that she looked over the stall wall and saw Lockner pushing a baby, face-first, into the water of the toilet.

Lockner pleaded for the worker not to call the police, but to no avail. First responders arrived and found the baby unresponsive, but EMTs were able to revive the infant, who, after a period in an induced coma, recovered. The boy is now living and thriving with his father’s aunt.

During sentencing, the judge took Lockner’s situation into consideration because she already has a five-year-old child to care for. Lockner reportedly also gave birth to her first child in the bathroom of her home.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.