Billings Woman Imprisoned After Stealing Car With Child Inside

A 31-year-old woman has been sentenced to at least five years in prison in four criminal cases, including a case in which she stole a van with a child in the backseat in Billings.

Jamie Odessa Yates was sentenced this past week by Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely.

The sentence includes 15 years with the Montana Department of Corrections, with 10 years suspended. Yates was designated a persistent felony offender, which means she must complete five years in prison.

The prison sentence is specifically for a felony count of theft and misdemeanor criminal negligence after she stole a van with a 3-year-old boy inside and then left the van in a park last April.

Yates also must pay about $11,000 restitution.