Virginia Mother Gets Suspended 6-Month Sentence After 5-Year-Old Walked Alone, Appeals for Jury Trial
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Sep 9
Virginia Mother Gets Suspended 6-Month Sentence After 5-Year-Old Walked Alone, Appeals for Jury Trial
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Sep 9
Summary
Karyann Parkinson, 36, received a suspended six-month sentence after a Virginia judge convicted her of contributing to the delinquency of a minor when her 5-year-old son walked alone to a pond in their gated community.
A security guard and passerby triggered the case in June after spotting the boy about half a mile from home collecting goose feathers, prompting police and Child Protective Services to intervene.
Parkinson said Virginia's 2023 reasonable childhood independence law should have protected her decision, but CPS substantiated neglect allegations and placed her on the state's child abuse and neglect registry for seven years.
Her lawyer has appealed the misdemeanor conviction, seeking a jury trial after an earlier appeal also won a new trial, while the pending case has already pushed the family to leave their HOA neighborhood.