Mother who put son in dog cage gets 4 years

updated 3:02 p.m. ET Oct. 10, 2007

TOLEDO, Ohio - A Toledo mother convicted of forcing her son to sit in a dog cage has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Jessica Botzko apologized before the sentencing, telling the judge that her time in jail has opened her eyes to the pain she caused her children.

She fought back tears as she said she was not a monster.

But judge Linda Jennings rejected the woman's plea for probation and lashed out at Botzko for the way she treated her 10-year-old son.

Botzko's boyfriend has pleaded not guilty to child endangering and is awaiting trial later this month.

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