INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Tennessee Mom Faces Child Neglect Charges After Making Children Walk To School Behind Her Car After They Missed The Bus

By Angela Woods
Published on: 10:57 PST, Apr 2, 2016

A Tennessee mom is being charged with child neglect for making her two daughters, both under the age of 10, walk to school after they missed the school bus. The police report indicates that the temperature was cold that morning and that there were heavy traffic conditions. Lisa Marie Palmer, 32, was driving ahead of the children in a gold Cadillac, but responding deputies discovered that she was not licensed to operate a motor vehicle.

According to Yahoo! News, the incident occurred on March 1. When deputies responded to the scene they noted the two girls and a dog walking along the “fog line.” They also observed a gold Cadillac parked on the shoulder of the road with its engine running. The girls were walking approximately 50 yards apart from each other and Palmer’s car was in front of them.

Deputy Chris Ladd documented his observations in the incident report that was filed.

” … [it] appeared as if she was driving ahead of the children and allowing them to walk and catch up to her vehicle and to proceed with that action until the children reached the school.”

The girls had apparently already walked about a mile-and-a-half when the deputies arrived and had another two miles to go before they would reach the school.

Deputy Ladd continued to document the basis for the child neglect charges in his report.

“Temperatures were cold, and traffic was beginning to become heavy with citizens heading to work. Mrs. Palmer was in no position to reach her children safely in the event of an emergency.”

Fox News writes that the school is located on Valley View Highway in Marion County. Marion County is located just west of Chattanooga.

Marion County Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett stated that Palmer told the deputies that the girls were being punished for missing the school bus.

Because Lisa Palmer was not legally licensed to drive, the deputies began to try to make arrangements for the children to complete their travel to the school. Her husband was then phoned. But this is not where the story ends.

Investigators say that Palmer’s husband, Brandon, eventually arrived at the scene along with his father, Douglas. As if the above sequence of events was not enough, the situation began to escalate once Brandon and Douglas arrived.

The Times Free Press reports that the deputies asked Brandon and Douglas to show valid copies of their driver’s licenses. Douglas Palmer refused and began to use profanity while the children were in full view and earshot. Douglas then accused Deputy Ladd of being “the cop who beat me up last time.” At that point, he began to take off his seat belt and attempted to exit the vehicle.

On doing so, Douglas grabbed at Deputy Ladd’s waist. The deputy at that time noted a fixed-blade knife in a sheath. Deputy Ladd wrestled with Douglas Palmer, disarmed, and handcuffed him.

But that still is not the end of the story. After patting down both Douglas Palmer, and his son Brandon, the deputies commenced a search of the vehicle that the two arrived in. They found drug paraphernalia in Douglas Palmer’s pockets (although no drugs were located on his person or in the vehicle). Douglas was subsequently arrested and charges were filed unrelated to the girls being forced to walk to school.

Lisa Marie Palmer will make her first court appearance on April 18. She has been charged with child neglect and driving without a license. The case is also currently under investigation by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

No phone number was listed on the police report for Mrs. Palmer, so the media has been unable to reach her for a comment. Court documents indicate that she has not yet retained an attorney.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Share this article: Tennessee Mom Faces Child Neglect Charges After Making Children Walk To School Behind Her Car After They Missed The Bus
More from Inquisitr