Portland man sentenced for leaving baby in woods faces gun charge

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) – A Portland man who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for abandoning a 5-month-old baby in the woods of western Montana while he was high on meth and bath salts now faces a federal gun charge.

The Missoulian reports U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch entered a not guilty plea on behalf of 33-year-old Francis Crowley, who is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Officers said Crowley had a 12-gauge shotgun with him in July 2018 when he was arrested for abandoning the baby.

He was unable to say exactly where the baby was.

About nine hours later, county and federal law enforcement officers searching in the dark found the baby, face down and partially buried under twigs and branches.

Crowley’s next court appearance is May 8.