A Phoenix woman who attained national notoriety last year after leaving her children in a hot car during a job interview was sentenced Friday to 18 years’ supervised probation by a Maricopa County, Ariz., judge, according to the Arizona Republic.
Shanesha Taylor, 35, may apply for interstate travel in a case that achieved widespread attention after her weepy mug shot went viral, sparking online donations of more than $100,000.
The incident occurred when she was arrested in March 2014 for leaving her sons, ages 2 and 6 months, alone in an SUV while she interviewed for a job at a State Farm Insurance in Scottsdale, Ariz.
She previously pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse, a class 6 felony and a domestic violence offense, in exchange for prosecutors' dismissal of a second count of child abuse, Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Cobb said, according to the Republic.
But after Taylor missed two deadlines to contribute money to her children's trust fund as part of a deferred-prosecution agreement, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office last fall reinstated the initial prosecution, notes the news outlet. In additino to the sentence, she will have to complete parenting classes and a treatment program.
Prosecutor Faith Klepper said that the state was concerned about Taylor's sense of responsibility, the report notes, while her defense attorney argued that it was a "bad judgment call."
Read more at the Arizona Republic.