NJ mother who smothered baby after heavy drinking gets prison

DELRAN, N.J. (FOX 29) - Authorities say a New Jersey woman who accidentally smothered her 3-month-old son after a night of heavy drinking was sentenced to prison time.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday that 39-year-old Melissa Johnson was sentenced to four years.

The Delran woman had pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child in exchange for the sentence. The baby died of asphyxiation.

"This is a heartbreaking and tragic occurrence for everybody involved," Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffin said. "But justice demands accountability for such actions, and in this case that includes a sentence involving incarceration."

Emergency workers responded to Johnson's home Feb. 18, 2015, for a report of an unresponsive child. Officials said a relative had found Johnson asleep on the couch with the infant partially wedged underneath her.

The prosecutor said Johnson had been drinking alcohol for several hours.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.