Staff Writer
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
A plea agreement has been accepted for a Terre Haute mother charged with neglecting and battering her toddler.
Colleen Marie Amos, 25, will have her case transferred from Vigo Superior Court 1 to the adult mental health court program in Vigo Superior Court 6 as a result of her guilty plea to a felony count of neglect of a dependent.
Amos had faced a July 30 trial date after being arrested on four felonies related to a Feb. 3 incident that resulted in her mother taking Amos’ 19-month-old child to the hospital after noticing apparent injuries.
Amos pleaded guilty to the charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, a class-C felony. The case stems from the allegation that Amos drank heavily and caused the child to have a concussion, head trauma and contusions.
Charges dismissed as part of the plea agreement alleged that she committed neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a class-B felony. Charges of battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age, a class-B felony, and battery resulting in bodily injury, a class-D felony, both stemmed from the allegation that Amos battered the child, resulting in a concussion, head trauma and contusions.
Amos must now participate in the court’s Psychiatric Assertive Identification and Referral Program — PAIR — which requires mental health treatment.
In accepting the plea agreement, Judge John Roach postponed judgment of conviction and sentencing during the three years that Amos is in the PAIR Program. Her dismissal from that program prior to completion could result in redocketing original charges against her.
