Mother of children injured in downtown apartment fire sentenced to prison

A 22-year-old mother was sentenced to one to three years in prison for child abuse after her three unsupervised children were injured in an apartment fire they started.

Jessica Warthen was sentenced last week by District Judge Valorie Vega.

Warthen, who already has served more than 180 days in jail, pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse in April.

The children's grandmother has custody of the children, Warthen's lawyer has said.

The children, ages 5 and younger at the time of the blaze, were hospitalized after the February fire at a downtown apartment complex.

Warthen's arrest report said police focused on why her children were home alone.

The children were unconscious when they were rescued from the apartment. They were released from University Medical Center, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

Fire officials said the accidental blaze was caused by Warthen's children, who were playing with a lighter or matches when a mattress in the apartment caught fire, causing $5,000 in damages.

The children were found in another room.

One child was on a bed, and the other two were on the floor.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.