Chapter 19 - Simone’s plea
The criminal case resolved eleven months after I came home early.
No attempted murder.
No kidnapping.
No fabricated severe injury.
Simone pleaded guilty to one felony-level child-endangerment offense under a negotiated agreement reflecting repeated physical handling and coercive confinement-type conduct.
A lesser assault count was dismissed.
Factors against her:
Repeated incidents.
Child age.
Bruising.
Blocking exits during confrontations.
Interference with private parent contact.
The notebook search after she knew he was documenting.
Use of Lauren’s memory as coercive pressure did not itself create a crime but informed context.
Factors in her favor:
No serious physical injury.
No weapons.
No prior record.
No evidence of punching or severe beating.
Treatment participation.
Partial early admissions.
Sentence:
Forty-five days county custody.
Additional suspended term.
Two years supervised probation.
No direct contact with Eli during supervision without therapeutic recommendation and court approval.
Mandatory parenting/behavioral treatment.
Community service.
Restitution for a defined portion of Eli’s therapy costs.
No unsupervised caregiving of unrelated minors during supervision.
Grounded.
Serious.
At sentencing Simone said:
“I told myself I was physically stopping Eli from walking away, not hurting him.”
There.
“I saw the bruises.”
There.
“I still kept grabbing him during later arguments.”
There.
Then:
“I asked him to keep incidents from Marcus because I did not want my marriage judged by my worst moments.”
There.
The judge answered:
“Repeated moments become a pattern.”
May you like
Exactly.
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