Correction: An earlier version of this story and its headline did not make clear that Phelps’s 18-year prison sentence will only be served if she violates terms of her probation.
The mother of a 17-month-old boy who died in a February house fire has been sentenced for her role in her son’s death.
On Thursday, a Johnson County judge sentenced Karlie Mae Phelps, 28, to 18 years in state prison but, according to a press release from the Johnson County District Attorney, the judge also granted Phelps’s request for three years probation.
That means that if she violates the terms of her probation, she will serve the remainder of her sentence in prison.
In August, Phelps pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter of a child under the age of six and a misdemeanor charge of endangering a child.
Both charges stemmed from a Feb. 13 fire at her home on West 69th Terrace in Shawnee.
As part of the plea agreement, Phelps has agreed to testify against her son’s father, Nicholas Ecker, who is charged with first-degree murder in the toddler’s death.
Ecker’s case is scheduled for a jury trial in December.
Phelps was also facing additional charges for violating a protection order and intimidation of a witness for allegedly attempting to contact a witness in her manslaughter case after her arrest in late February.
Prosecutors dismissed those charges and another felony possession charge as part of the plea agreement.
Mike Frizzell is a freelance crime and fire reporter who runs Operation 100 News and frequently reports and does photo assignments for the Post.
