Jennings pleas no-contest to child neglect
A local mother was given probation this week on child neglect charges after her 4-year-old son nearly burned down their house while she slept.
The defendant, Angela Marie Jennings, 32, entered a no-contest plea to the charge of child neglect and was placed on probation for an 11-month, 29-day period during which she must perform 16 hours public service work. The plea was accepted as a judicial diversion meaning her record will be erased provided she completes her year on probation without any brushes with the law.
According to arrest warrants against Jennings, deputies came to their home after the 4-year-old talked to his grandparents on the telephone and told them he could not wake up his mother. Lawmen also maintained the mother had failed to pick up another child from school that day, an allegation the defendant’s family disputes.
When lawmen arrived they were unable to gain entrance to the residence, prompting them to continue pounding on the door for several minutes until Jennings opened the door. Lawmen say she was disoriented and did not know the time of day.
Once inside, deputies found the residence was filling with smoke from a fire which began in the kitchen area. The family was immediately rushed from the house until firemen arrived to douse the small blaze. It was discovered the fire started when the 4-year-old turned on the stove to cook some eggs because he was hungry. Firemen say 15 minutes later, had officers not arrived, both mother and son would have likely died from smoke inhalation.
Lawmen found there were several pills, such as hydrocodone, Promethazine and Xanax missing from a prescription filled the day before, suggesting the mother was in a deep sleep from overingesting prescription medication.