By Associated Press - Sunday, July 26, 2020

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - A New Mexico woman was allowed to leave jail to attend her son’s funeral but never returned has been sentenced.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports Angela Sotelo of Carlsbad pleaded no contest this month to an attempting to escape charge.

According to a criminal complaint, a state judge allowed Sotelo to attend the funeral of her son in August 2019 on a furlough. But Sotelo never returned at her assigned time.



Police eventually found Sotelo on Dec. 5 and charged her with escaping from jail, failure to appear and failure to comply.

She was sentenced to three years in prison.

A judge added four years to Sotelo’s original sentence, as Sotelo is a habitual offender.

She previously had been sentenced for drug charges.

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