Bond set for parents of Johna Osborn

BAY COUNTY, Fla. - Bay County Florida Sheriff's Deputies said one-year-old Johna Osborn was severely burned while her father was cooking meth.

"For days, weeks, we didn't know if she was going to survive. There was a good chance she wasn't going to make it," said Captain Faith Bell.

Johna spent more than two months in the hospital. She was released in October to the Florida Department of Children and Families. She will be scarred physically, mentally, and emotionally for the rest of her life.

Wednesday morning, her father, John Osborn, and her mother, Tessa Wagy, were in court. Judge Dedee Costello set Osborn's bond at $100,000. Wagy posted $35,000 bond on October 22.

Wednesday, the judge granted Wagy permission to see Johna under supervision at the Department of Children and Families. Captain Faith Bell with the Bay County Sheriff's Office believes Wagy and Osborn lied about Johna's injuries. She is not happy with the judge's decision.

"That's very disappointing. Anybody that would do this to a child, whether it's intentional or unintentional, then lie about it for hours, and lie to people who are responsible for giving her the proper care to try to save her life is gross negligence. It's criminal. And to see that child have to face that again is just very disappointing," she said.

Under federal law, identification must be presented when purchasing any product containing ephedrine. As a result of baby Johna's story, when purchasing a product containing ephedrine in Bay County, your information is entered into a database that's sent straight to the sheriff's office.

"Before, if it's kept at individual pharmacies, they would go from one to another and bypass the law. But now with it being regulated through the database, you can't do that anymore," said Captain Bell.

She said she felt that Johna's story was the final straw before something had to be done to cut down meth use in Bay County.

"They heard about the explosions, the fires, the damage. But when the baby got burned, l think it took it to a whole other level for Bay County," she said.

Bell said it may not fix the meth problem completely, but she hopes it will help. As for Johna, Bell said she hopes the state will see that she is placed in a better environment and well taken care of for the rest of her life.

Wagy and Osborn are facing charges of aggravated child abuse, manufacturing methamphetamine resulting in injury to a child, and possession of a listed chemical. They will go back to court on January 6, 2010, for their pretrial hearings.