A woman from Arizona was sentenced for allegedly running over a 12-year-old girl’s leg with her pickup truck when she was travelling through a park.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell stated on Saturday, June 14, that Brandie Gotch, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to three charges of aggravated assault related to a violent visit to a Peoria park in February 2024.
In a statement released after the punishment, Mitchell stated, “This could have been a much more tragic situation; thankfully the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises.”
After her kids got into a fight and other kids were allegedly “egging them on and recording the altercation,” Gotch went to Westgreen Park to pick them up, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO).
According to previously acquired records, Gotch drove a white Chevy Silverado to the park on February 27, 2024, at approximately 4 p.m. local time.
According to the MCAO, Gotch was taking her children back to the truck when a boy on the playground allegedly called her a derogatory slur. After a second youngster called her a name as well, the 31-year-old “started pulling him by his hair” and chased him “around the park with a stick.”
The 14-year-old boy’s head was yanked back and forth by Gotch. She allegedly screamed, “I am going to kill you and run you over,” as she chased the child with a stick, according to court filings.
“Gotch then got into her truck with her kids. The second boy stood behind the truck, dancing and mocking her. He eventually moved away to stand by his sister,” according to the statement from the attorney’s office. “At that point, Gotch backed out of the parking space, revved her engine and drove right at the boy and his sister.”
It was reported by the attorney’s office that Gotch ran over his sister’s leg with her truck, despite the fact that the boy was able to jump out of the way of the car.
After that, Gotch proceeded to drive past Westgreen Park, which was occupied by “over a dozen” children at the time. The office of the attorney stated that some individuals “had to run in order to get out of the truck’s path.”
Read Also: Drunken Grandmother Accused of Abandoning Infant in Ditch During Rainstorm
Gotch stated that she felt one of the preteens punched her daughter, who is ten years old, when she was speaking with the police after the event. She also claimed that the preteens had thrown wood chips at three of her children.
According to The Arizona Republic, Gotch expressed his regret by saying, “I hope I didn’t,” in reference to the fact that he had run over the girl’s leg. At the same time, she said that the youngsters at the park referred to her as a “bitch.”
While she was leaving the park, she was eventually taken into custody at her residence.
Gotch was first jailed on six counts of endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He was also held on a cash bond of two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
“Even when angry or frustrated, it’s up to adults to act like adults. It is never okay to take our rage out on a kid,” Mitchell stated.
