FARMINGTON — A woman who said she miscarried a full-term baby boy and put the child in an ice chest in the trunk of her car was sentenced to 15 days in jail on Thursday.

Stephanie Ludene Hulmston, 26, of West Point, previously was charged with desecration of a dead human body, a third-degree felony. That was reduced to attempted desecration of a dead human body, a class A misdemeanor, as part of a plea bargain.

Prosecutors say the agreement evolved primarily because medical experts could not determine whether the child had been born alive or dead and because the body was so decomposed by the time it was discovered and examined. The child was born July 31, 2008.

Hulmston's lawyer, Craig Peterson, argued that Hulmston was embarrassed to have gotten pregnant out of wedlock, hid the pregnancy from her family, gave birth alone and panicked after she delivered a stillborn child. She called her then-boyfriend, the child's father, to enlist his help in getting rid of the body, but he notified police.

Peterson said Hulmston almost immediately went into counseling after this episode and continued with it until she was discharged by her counselor. She also cooperated with police, has had no arrests or trouble with the law since then, and is working to get her high school diploma through the Davis Applied Technology College.

"This is a sad, tragic case," Peterson said. "Jail time is punishment that should not be imposed."

However, 2nd District Judge Thomas Kay ordered Hulmston to serve the 15-day jail term. The judge permitted her to turn herself in to the Davis County Jail on Oct. 26.

The judge also put Hulmston on probation for two years, directed her to get her GED or high school diploma in some fashion, and required a mental health evaluation.

Outside the courtroom, Peterson expressed dismay that Hulmston must spend any time in jail. He said she has been traumatized by this event, relived the trauma when charges were filed one year later and then again when she had to discuss it as part of the pretrial report process.

"This will haunt her for the rest of her life," he said. "I see guys walk out of this courthouse every day with second- and third-degree felony drug charges. I find it troubling that she gets 15 days in jail."

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