Lebanon Woman Makes Alford Plea In Death Of Infant

Judge Matthew Hamner has accepted an Alford plea from Naomi Johnson of Lebanon in the death of 1-year-old Kimber McDowell at an unlicensed daycare. An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence but admits that the prosecution’s evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial. Johnson was charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter. On June 3, 2020, the child was taken to the hospital and later died. After investigating, authorities focused on Johnson, who said she had put the child down for a nap. Johnson, who was also caring for other children, discovered Kimber was not breathing. Kimber’s parents had reportedly known Johnson was not a licensed childcare provider. Sentencing for Johnson is set for June 5th in Laclede County.