Grandmother Sentenced in Long Beach Abandoned Baby Case

A woman who concocted a story about finding an abandoned newborn baby -- which turned out to be her granddaughter -- at a downtown Long Beach gas station pleaded no contest today to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to three years probation.

Sonia Ines Hernandez, 52, was also ordered to complete 45 days of community service and must pay restitution to the city in an amount to be determined at a later hearing, according to the Long Beach city prosecutor's office.

She was also sentenced to one year in jail, but she will not have to serve any of the jail time unless she violates her probation. Hernandez called 911 on Feb. 20 to report that she had found the baby in a bag at a Long Beach gas station. It was later determined that the baby belonged to Hernandez's daughter, Paloma Espinoza, who gave birth to the child at an apartment but did not want the girl.

The baby was treated at a hospital and eventually given to the Department of Children and Family Services. Hernandez was charged with filing a false police report and obstructing police officers. Espinoza is still awaiting trial on charges of child endangerment and child abandonment.

Long Beach prosecutors noted that no charges would have been filed in the case if the baby had been turned into authorities under the state's "Safe Surrender'' law, which allows a parent to surrender an unwanted infant at a hospital or fire station within 72 hours of birth.