Mom Who Fought Care for Ill Baby Pleads Guilty

A mother who took her ailing baby out of a Seattle hospital to prevent him from having court-ordered surgery pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to a reduced charge of second-degree custodial interference.

Prosecutors had originally charged Tina Carlsen, 34, with kidnapping but agreed to reduce the charge after learning more about the case.

The state took custody of her son in early June, after Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center went to court to override his mother’s wishes to use “natural” treatments for the child’s poorly functioning kidneys.