Across Georgia

Foster mother indicted on involuntary manslaughter

NICHOLSON, Ga. - A foster mother has been indicted on charges she contributed to the heatstroke death of a 9-month-old girl she left in a hot minivan.

A Jackson County grand jury indicted 29-year-old Wendy Osborne on Monday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct for the Sept. 2 death of Jessica Scovil. The infant died after being left in the van for more than two hours.

Authorities say Osborne returned home from a doctor's appointment, unloaded two adopted 3-year-old girls from the van and fell asleep inside her house. She woke up about two hours later and realized Jessica was still in the van.

Her attorney, Phil Pilgrim, said she did not commit a crime.

Osborne faces arraignment Dec. 11 in Jackson County Superior Court. If convicted, she faces a jail sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Elderly Ga. woman dies in house fire

MACON, Ga. - An 85-year-old woman is dead after faulty electrical wiring set her house on fire.

Macon-Bibb County Fire Capt. Tom Musselwhite said Louvenia Smith was found unconscious in her smoke-filled bedroom Wednesday. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said Smith died of smoke inhalation.

Neighbor Kelley Pledge said he tried to rescue the elderly woman, but he said the burglar bars on her door prevented them from kicking in the door.

Musselwhite said improper wiring and use of extension cords in the living room set the blaze, which spread to the attic and destroyed most of the house. Family members said Smith had lived in Macon most of her life, working as a housekeeper and a custodian for the Bibb County school board.

Escaped inmate found in Atlanta

COLUMBUS, Ga. - A prison inmate who escaped earlier this week from a work detail in Muscogee County has been captured.

Muscogee County Prison Warden Bill Adamson said 38-year-old John Hubert was caught in an Atlanta apartment complex Wednesday afternoon. Adamson said a state fugitive squad found Hubert in the prison van he had stolen during his escape Tuesday.

Hubert has a relative who lives in the apartment complex. Adamson said Hubert was still wearing his prison clothes but had painted over the van's identification numbers.

Hubert was serving a two-year sentence for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of cocaine. He now faces charges of escape and theft.