Woman pleads to lesser offense
Published 9:04 pm Wednesday, November 2, 2016
A woman who had been charged with child abuse pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser offense.
Tierra Shunay Thompson, 24, pleaded guilty to a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Suffolk Circuit Court. Judge Robert H. Sandwich Jr. handed down a sentence of 12 months, which he suspended in its entirety.
Thompson was charged in August when another woman called 911 and reported Thompson following and tailgating her.
An officer arrived and observed Thompson’s car going as fast as 38 miles per hour, prosecutor Marie Walls said in court Wednesday. The officer also saw a 3-year-old child standing up in the backseat.
When the officer pulled her over, Thompson said the child must have unbuckled himself, Walls said. There was a booster seat on the floor of the vehicle.
The woman in the other car was known to Thompson, Walls said.
Thompson had no prior criminal record.
She also will be required to complete anger management classes and parenting classes and also to watch a video that shows the effects of driving with a child unrestrained.