Mich. mom to avoid jail after plea in exhaust case

CADILLAC, Mich. (AP) - A Cadillac woman accused of leaving her four young children in a vehicle filling with carbon monoxide likely will avoid prison after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor.

Twenty-one-year-old Brandy King has pleaded to fourth-degree child abuse and will be sentenced Dec. 14. She originally was charged with second-degree child abuse, a felony carrying up to four years in prison.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing.

Authorities say King left her children inside her minivan April 29 when a faulty tailpipe pumped poison gas into the vehicle. Wexford County Prosecutor Mark Smathers tells The Grand Rapids Press he will recommend no jail time and five years probation.

None of the children suffered permanent injuries.