Mom Punches Daughter, Handcuffs Her To Bed For Stealing Mom's Pot Stash

[matcom]

<snip>


Brown County Circuit Court Judge Kendall Kelley fully admitted that raising a child is difficult and challenging. But when Kelly Johnston punched her teenage daughter in the face and head before handcuffing her to a bed for stealing from her marijuana stash, the 36-year-old Green Bay woman sank to a new level of cruelty.


"You have treated your child worse than most people treat a disobedient dog," Kelley said. "Worse yet would be a mother who would do this to hide her own criminal activity."


Johnston was arrested in March 2005 after her then 15-year-old daughter called police and said she had been beaten and chained to a bed for 17 hours without food or water. Prosecutors charged Johnston with child abuse, false imprisonment and marijuana possession, but later dropped the child abuse charge as part of a plea bargain.


During sentencing Friday, Kelley blasted Johnston for abusing her child and said the scars she created will live with the girl for a long time.


Kelley sentenced Johnston to 13 months at the Brown County Jail but spared her a prison term. He also gave her three years of probation, the most available under current Truth in Sentencing provisions.


Before being led from the courtroom in handcuffs, a tearful Johnston told Kelley that she knew what she did was wrong.


"Every day I look back and can't figure out how I let things get so out of hand," Johnston said.


Kelley also ordered Johnston to write two 1,000-word essay-style letters to her daughter: "Ten Things I Love About You" and "Ten or More Favorite Memories About You and Why They are My Favorite."


Kelley said he hopes the reflection used to pen the essays will help start a healing process.


Should Johnston violate probation, she will be subject to a three-year prison term and three more years probation which Kelley imposed, but stayed as part of sentencing.


"If you violate the terms of your probation, you are going to prison for a long time," Kelley warned.


Kelley also barred Johnston from seeing her daughter without the approval of the state Department of Corrections and Johnston's probation agent. The girl gets to decide when — if at all — the meetings take place.


At a hearing Monday, Kelley pulled his permission for Johnston to see the now 16-year-old girl because social workers — acting on the daughter's behalf — requested the no-contact provision. Kelley opted to include the measure in the conditions of probation.


http://greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060401/GPG0101/604010581&SearchID=73240459593244

[edbermac]

1. Shit, I'd go postal if anybody stole my stash!

[skygazer]

2. That'll teach the little reprobate

Hands off mom's stash! :grr:

[MrSlayer]

3. Keep your hands off the weed.

Unless you pay for it.

[Guava Jelly]

4. thats what i call parenting

pesky kids

[Nikia]

5. It sounds like she was rather traumatized

It sounds like she requested that her mother not contact her again until she is an adult.
The mother could have let things get a little less out of hand if she had uncuffed her daughter several hours earlier perhaps.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. Goddamn lib'rul activist judges

Makin' mothers write essays about loving their kids. :eyes:

[LostinVA]

7. This is HORRIBLE, but the headline made me laugh

And, don't mess with anyone's stash, even Mom's... understand, boys and girls?