Carnation-area woman who starved stepdaughter sentenced to more than 3 years

A Carnation-area woman, who isolated and starved her stepdaughter until the girl weighed just 48 pounds at the age of 14, was sentenced Friday to three years and five months in prison.

The sentence was far below what the victim, now 15, asked the judge to impose on her stepmother, Rebecca Long. The girl sought an exceptional sentence of 11 years: "One for every year she made me feel ashamed of myself and abused me."

King County Superior Court Judge William Downing gave Long a sentence at the top of the sentencing range for first-degree criminal mistreatment.

After the hearing, the girl's foster father said their family is happy with Downing's decision.

"I think what she [the girl] was asking for was a fair sentence," said Dwight Thompson, who is caring for the girl and her brother, who also was abused by Long.

Long, 45, was arrested last year after authorities went to the home she shared with her husband to check on the then-14-year-old girl.

Jon Pomeroy, Long's estranged husband, also was arrested and has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison.

In September, Long entered an Alford plea to a charge of first-degree criminal mistreatment. Under the plea, Long did not admit guilt but acknowledged a jury would likely convict her at trial.

While prosecutors sought the high-end sentence of three years and five months, Long's attorney asked that she be released into mental-health treatment without serving prison time.

Long declined to testify at the sentencing, but in a seven-page letter she wrote to Downing she blamed Pomeroy for her actions. She said Pomeroy abused her physically and mentally and failed to help her parent a girl who was difficult to raise.

King County sheriff's deputies discovered the malnourished girl Aug. 13, 2008, after they were called to the home at the request of Child Protective Services. The girl was only 4-foot-7 and weighed just 48 pounds when she was found.

Investigators say that Long allowed the teen only half a Dixie cup of water a day and supervised the girl's showers and toothbrushing so she could not sneak a drink. The girl said she once was so thirsty she drank from the toilet but was caught.

In court Friday, the girl, who is not being named to protect her identity, said Long locked her inside a room after she tried to run away from school. She said that Long "rationed" her food and water.

"She ruined my childhood," the girl said to Downing. "I knew she was attempting to kill me."

Defense attorney Robert Wayne said Long has battled mental illness for years and suffered abuse at the hands of Pomeroy, the girl's father.

Because of Long's "fragile" mental state, Wayne had earlier asked Downing to allow her to skip a portion of the sentencing hearing. In court Friday, Long told Downing that she was afraid things would be said in court that would cause her to "freak out" and be "disruptive."

Downing agreed to the request and Long remained in a jury room attached to the courtroom when her mental health was discussed during the afternoon sentencing hearing.

Thompson, the girl's foster father, said the girl is attending high school, participating on the swim team and doing well. She now weighs about 100 pounds and is about 5 feet tall.

Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com