Portland man sentenced for abandoning baby in Montana woods

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) – A Portland man who abandoned a 5-month-old baby under a pile of debris in the woods of western Montana has been sentenced to 30 years in prison with 10 years suspended.

The Missoulian reports 33-year-old Francis Crowley was sentenced Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to criminal endangerment and child criminal endangerment. He pleaded no contest to assault on a child.

Prosecutors say Crowley was high on meth and bath salts when he caused a disturbance at Lolo Hot Springs in July. He told officers the baby he had been caring for was buried, but he couldn’t say where.

Authorities found the boy and estimated he had been left alone for at least nine hours.

Crowley wept in court Tuesday, saying he never meant to hurt the child.