Barbara G. Stringham will spend up to a year in an Idaho Department of Correction treatment program before a judge will decide if she should go to prison for trying to use a syringe to inject a child with bleach during a fight with her boyfriend at a Boise Bench home last summer.

The 39-year-old Stringham pleaded guilty to a charge of felony injury to a child earlier this summer in connection with that incident.

Fourth District Judge Deborah Bail gave Stringham a 10-year-prison last week but also placed her on retained jurisdiction — commonly known as a “rider” program. Stringham will participate in a therapeutic community program for “high risk offenders” with substance abuse problems for up to a year. 

When the program is over, Bail will decide if Stringham should go to prison or be placed on a probation program. If she goes to prison, Stringham will have to serve at least three years before she can ask for parole.

Boise police arrested Stringham June 4 after being sent to a home in the 1300 block of North Hartman Street after getting a 911 call about a fight.

When police arrived, they found the man and the child, who is under the age of 11, outside the home.

Witnesses told police that Stringham was in the middle of some kind of argument with the man when she attempted to stab the child with a syringe full of bleach. Police say the 39-year-old Stringham then tried to attack the man with a kitchen knife as he took the child out of the home, according to reports.

Shortly after police arrived at the home they declared the child to be in imminent danger and put the child in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Prosecutors say Stringham was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the fight.

Stringham was also charged with aggravated assault and using a weapon in the commission of a felony but those charges were dropped when she pleaded guilty to felony injury to child as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.