Mpls. mom who admitted tossing baby into snowbank misses sentencing

Updated: June 9, 2011 - 8:23 PM

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A Minneapolis woman who admitted throwing her newborn into a snowbank on a freezing March day failed to show up for sentencing Thursday.

An arrest warrant remains active for Ashley Renee Couch, 21, who pleaded guilty in April in Hennepin County District Court to child endangerment and neglect, a gross misdemeanor. In exchange for her plea, a second gross misdemeanor count of child neglect was dismissed.

Under terms of the deal, Couch agreed to serve three months in jail, with another nine months stayed for two years.

Couch was charged after the March 5 incident at 18th Street and 10th Avenue S. According to charges, Couch, who said she was upset with the baby's father for taking money from her house, chased him down the street that 16-degree morning. When she caught up with him, she "slammed" the 18-day-old baby into the snowbank, the baby's father told police.

Charges say Couch told police the baby fell out of her hands. The baby is now in foster care.

Couch had served part of her anticipated sentence when she posted $3,000 bail April 18 under a number of conditions, including that she not contact the baby's father. Couch allegedly violated that condition. District Judge David Duffy ordered a revocation of conditional release last month and reset her bail at $6,000.

Couch also is the subject of an arrest warrant stemming from a family court matter.

Couch's attorney, William "Butch" Selman, asked Duffy for more time to try to reach his client. Duffy refused the request. Selman declined to comment after the hearing.

ABBY SIMONS