A Chesterfield County woman serving 12 months in jail for the death of a toddler in her care was denied her bid yesterday to serve the balance of her term under home incarceration.

After a brief hearing in Chesterfield Circuit Court, Judge Herbert C. Gill Jr. rejected a defense motion to allow Elizabeth P. Noakes, 42, to be electronically monitored at home. The judge on Oct. 25 sentenced Noakes to five years in prison, but he suspended all but one year of that term.

Noakes was convicted last July of involuntary manslaughter in Oct. 18, 2006, asphyxiation death of Noah Alexander Colassaco. The 16-month-old boy died after he poked his head between the top of his crib and a cardboard divider that Noakes had placed over it and weighed down with a 32-pound metal dog crate folded flat.

Noakes, who watched children in her home for several years without incident, testified that she placed the items on top of the crib to deter the boy from standing up and crying or making noise during nap time.

The judge may have based his decision yesterday on a letter from the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office, which operates the home-incarceration program and evaluated Noakes' eligibility.

In a letter to the court, sheriff's Lt. James Pritchett, head of jail classification, records and inmate programs, said Noakes wasn't deemed a suitable candidate for home incarceration under department guidelines and state law.