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Deal Reached In Shanesha Taylor Case The Mother Who Left Kids In Car While At Job Interview. No Jail Time

Deal Reached In Shanesha Taylor Case The Mother Who Left Kids In Car While At Job Interview.  No Jail Time

The job-seeking Phoenix mother whose tearful mugshot spawned worldwide support after she was arrested for leaving her children in the car in Scottsdale will have her case dismissed if she successfully completes a diversion program, according to a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Shanesha Taylor was arrested in March after police said she left her two children in her Dodge Durango for 45 minutes while in a Farmers Insurance office in Scottsdale. Taylor told police she was jobless, without child care that day and had occasionally been homeless.

A composed Taylor attended a settlement conference at Maricopa County Superior Court Friday morning.

“This is a beautiful resolution to a very long, very hard journey,” Taylor told reporters Friday morning, hours after entering the agreement.

County Attorney Bill Montgomery released a statement about an hour before the conference that detailed the agreement he had reached with Taylor’s attorneys.

The job-seeking Phoenix mother whose tearful mugshot spawned worldwide support after she was arrested for leaving her children in the car in Scottsdale will have her case dismissed if she successfully completes a diversion program, according to a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Shanesha Taylor was arrested in March after police said she left her two children in her Dodge Durango for 45 minutes while in a Farmers Insurance office in Scottsdale. Taylor told police she was jobless, without child care that day and had occasionally been homeless.

A composed Taylor attended a settlement conference at Maricopa County Superior Court Friday morning.

“This is a beautiful resolution to a very long, very hard journey,” Taylor told reporters Friday morning, hours after entering the agreement.

County Attorney Bill Montgomery released a statement about an hour before the conference that detailed the agreement he had reached with Taylor’s attorneys.

The agreement requires Taylor to complete parenting and substance-abuse classes and to establish education and child-care trusts for each of her three children, according to Montgomery’s office. Each education trust must have at least $10,000 in it.

Since her arrest, a charity fundraising page at youcaring.com set up on Shanesha Taylor’s behalf has raised more than $114,775 from 4,052 donors to assist with her legal fees and other expenses. Experts say that puts Taylor just behind the most notable group of crowd-funded charity recipients: a handful of Boston Marathon bombing victims who raised more than $100,000 each.

“Where we can focus on an opportunity for rehabilitation without having to use punitive consequences we’re always willing to take a look at that,” Montgomery said, addressing the lack of criminal charges. “And our resolution today shouldn’t be taken as a policy shift, this is just how we were able to resolve this one particular case.”

Montgomery said given the circumstances of the case — Taylor, in fact, seeking employment and experiencing difficulties with child care — the resolution seemed appropriate. He said were the context that of a mother who left her three children in her vehicle to shop at the mall, the outcome would have been different.

Taylor said that her supporters have been instrumental in the outcome of her case, and said she is very grateful for all the support and donations she has received.

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“This provides a future for my kids,” she said.

“The trust fund is tremendous,” Benjamin Taylor said. “This will help her get back on her feet.”

Taylor has to submit documentation of the accounts to prosecutors to ensure the conditions are met, according to Montgomery’s office.

If Taylor fails to live up to the terms of the agreement, Montgomery said the criminal charges against Taylor would be reinstated. A Republic review of about 10 cases over the last 30 years in which children were left in hot cars but remained unharmed shows that this kind of offer is not uncommon.

Montgomery did not disclose whether he believed Taylor had a substance abuse problem, but did say it is not unique for his office to require substance-abuse classes as a part of dealing with child abuse cases.

Over the years, parents who left children in cars have been offered probation, had charges dropped or were able to plea to lesser charges. Roughly 31 children have died in hot cars since 1990 according to numbers from kidsandcars.com and The Republic.

In the courtroom, Judge Joseph Welty went over the details of the agreement with Taylor, asking her, “Is this something you want to do?”

“Yes, your honor,” Taylor replied.

Deal Reached In Shanesha Taylor Case The Mother Who Left Kids In Car While At Job Interview.  No Jail Time

 

“Based on all the facts and circumstances in this matter, we believe this agreement represents a just resolution that appropriately holds the defendant accountable for her actions while also recognizing the best interests of her family,” said Montgomery said in a statement. “The stipulations of this agreement also ensure that pledges of support from members of the public will have a meaningful and positive impact,” he added.

News of Taylor’s arrest and her emotional booking photo sparked a national discussion about poverty and access to public assistance.

Taylor was released from jail March 31 on $9,000 bond and has been indicted on two felony counts. Her children were examined at a hospital the day of her arrest and released as uninjured. They are now with family, and under the supervision of the Division of Child and Family Services.

If convicted, Taylor faced a minimum of two years of probation for the two child-abuse counts she faced.

 

Source:  Azcentral.com

 

 

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