4 LIGHTSEY children - 1 to 11 yo - (2011) / Convicted: Mother Kimberly Lightsey - Winter Haven FL

Plea Deal: Mom Agrees To No More Children


KIMBERLY LIGHTSEY was charged with child neglect.

THE LEDGER FILE (2011)

By Jason Geary
THE LEDGER

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 11:57 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 11:57 p.m.


BARTOW | A 30-year-old Winter Haven woman facing child neglect
charges accepted a plea deal Friday after a judge insisted on attaching
some unique strings to the agreement.

Circuit Judge Ernest M. Jones Jr. wanted Kimberly Lightsey to not
have any more children as a condition of her probation and house
arrest.

"What's the matter?" the judge asked Lightsey. "You don't agree with that? You looked back at your boyfriend. Is that something you all have planned?"

"In a couple years, after we get everything settled, because he doesn't have any children," Lightsey replied.

"But you've got four of them," the judge said.

Lightsey was arrested in October 2011 after police say she left her four children alone at a hotel.

The children ranged in age from a 1-year-old to an 11-year-old. One child had significant medical conditions, including epilepsy, cerebral palsy and brain damage, reports state.

A guest called police after finding one child strapped into an overturned stroller in a hotel hallway.

At the time, Lightsey was serving four years of probation after pleading
no contest to child abuse. She was charged with hitting her 6-year-old
son in the face with a belt in 2009.

To settle her child neglect and violation of probation cases, Lightsey agreed Friday to the judge's unusual condition.
She pleaded no contest to two counts of child neglect.

She was sentenced to two years of house arrest, 13 years of probation and
100 hours of community service. She was ordered to not have unsupervised
contact with minors.

In October 2011, the Department of Children and Families placed her children in the custody of relatives.

The judge agreed that Lightsey could have more children in the future if
she is able to fulfill various conditions of her probation and
successfully petitions the court to remove the "no unsupervised contact
with minors" clause.


http://www.theledger.com/article/20121228/NEWS/121229363?tc=ar

I sure agree with the judge in his "no more children" sentence - but it's probably against her civil rights (kids' civil rights don't count, welfare civil rights don't count either). Personally, imho, these mothers with lots of children that they abuse or seriously neglect should have a mandatory NO MORE CHILDREN sentence passed against them. This is the first time I've heard of a judge doing this.

She should never be allowed to be in charge of any child. If she has another one the state should take it away immediately and make her pay the foster parents.

..i've been an advocate for this type of sentencing in these cases for quite some time. A sort of "social Darwinism," if you will...a much needed one to say the least...