Mom who tried to remove baby's finger pleads guilty

The child was born with an extra finger protruding from his right pinkie.
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;By BOB JACKSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- An Austintown woman who tried to remove an extra finger from her infant son's hand by tying it off with string pleaded guilty Thursday to child endangering.
Christyanna Uphole, 22, of South Meridian Road was allowed to remain free on bond until she is sentenced. Judge Robert Lisotto ordered that a background check be conducted in the meantime.
The judge could sentence Uphole to up to six months in the county jail and fine her up to $1,000 for the first-degree misdemeanor. He also could place her on probation.
Uphole was not criminally indicted by a county grand jury because she opted to plead guilty to a prosecutor's bill of information, said Robert Andrews, assistant prosecutor.
Birth defect
The child was born with an extra finger protruding from his right pinkie. Uphole had apparently been told by a doctor that the extra appendage needed to be surgically removed.
Instead, Uphole tried to do it herself by tying a piece of string or sewing thread tightly around the baby's extra finger in February. The baby's grandmother notified authorities of what happened after she noticed damage to the baby's finger.
Detectives said that when they went to the home to investigate, they found Uphole feeding the 1-month-old infant, whose finger was red and cut.
"It was a bad decision," defense attorney Douglas King said of Uphole's unsuccessful attempt to remove the extra finger. He said Uphole did not have the money to have the finger properly removed through surgery.
"I truly believe that, as strange as it may seem, she honestly felt she was doing the best thing," King said. "It was bad judgment."
Baby removed
King said the baby was initially removed from the home, but neither he nor Andrews was sure whether the child has since been returned. Denise Stewart, executive director of Mahoning County Children Services, would not comment, citing confidentiality reasons.
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;bjackson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;