A Georgia man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for trying to poison his newborn baby to avoid paying child support.
Curtis Jack admitted putting antifreeze in his newborn baby’s bottle in 2020, NBC News reported.
The baby’s mother, who was also a co-worker of Jack’s, was hospitalized after giving birth to their daughter on Sept. 24, 2020. Jack picked up bottles of breastmilk from the mother in the hospital.
After delivering the breastmilk to the child’s grandmother, the newborn became ill and began vomiting within 24 hours.
The baby was rushed to a hospital, where she tested positive for ethylene glycol – a chemical in automotive antifreeze.
The baby survived and is now a healthy 3-year-old, according to People.com.
Jack was arrested on Oct. 16, 2020. He admitted to detectives that he added antifreeze to the bottles of breastmilk to avoid paying child support.
Ethylene glycol can be deadly if ingested in small amounts, according to poisonhelp.org.
Police say Jack had previously “insisted” that the mother terminate her pregnancy.
“During the trial, the State presented testimonies from the child’s mother, grandmother, law enforcement officers, and medical experts, including a demonstration of how easy it was to poison the breastmilk,” South Fulton police said.
Jack was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 50 years in prison, with 40 years to serve in prison.
