WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita woman accused of abandoning her 5-year-old grandson while fleeing a Kohl’s store after a shoplifting incident has been sentenced to nearly three years in jail.
The Wichita Eagle (https://bit.ly/1QLbOkX ) reports that 42-year-old Kathleen Williams received a 32-month sentence Thursday. She had pleaded guilty in January to a charge of theft after prior conviction and a charge of contributing to a child’s misconduct or deprivation.
Prosecutors say she tried to steal clothing from the store before fleeing, leaving the clothes and her grandson behind in June. Williams committed the theft while on probation from two 2013 theft convictions, Judge David Kaufman said in court Thursday. She eluded police for nearly three months.
Williams’ grandson was placed in foster care as a result of the incident. No other relative showed up in court to claim him during a hearing last year.
Standing before the judge Thursday, Williams said she wanted to do “whatever it takes to get back to my family.”
Prosecutors asked for a 29-month sentence, and Williams’ lawyer requested a 20-month sentence.
Kaufman sentenced her to 11 months for the felony theft charge, 12 months for the misdemeanor charge, and 9 months for her probation violation. Those sentences are to run consecutively.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, https://www.kansas.com
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