An Augusta woman who continued to beat and otherwise abuse her little boy after she was convicted of cruelty to children pleaded guilty to new charges Thursday, June 30.
Mercille Jenkins, 32, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to aggravated assault and cruelty to children. Jenkins appeared by teleconference from the Arrendale State Prison.
Jenkins is in prison because her earlier probation sentence for child cruelty was revoked after the latest arrest March 29, 2019.
On that day, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, called by child welfare caseworkers for help in removing Jenkins’ children from her home, discovered her then 8-year-old covered in bruises and abrasions. The child told officers that Jenkins and his stepfather routinely beat him with sticks, extension cords and fists, and that Jenkins strangled him to the point he couldn’t breathe.
At the time, Jenkins was on probation under the First Offender Act. She pleaded guilty in 2016 to cruelty to children for beating the child with a wooden spoon.
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Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Deshala Dixon told the judge the plea agreement was for a concurrent prison to what she is currently serving for the probation violation, which is 18 years.
Defense attorney Jesse Owen told the judge that Jenkins’ was a sad case of a woman who was raped as a child who never got the help she needed for the mental and emotional trauma. In prison she has been following a mental health program, and taking GED and anger management classes.
Jenkins has six children, including the victim and the latest one whom she delivered while incarcerated. They are all in state custody.
Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Jenkins to 18 years in prison followed by two years’ probation. Jenkins potential parole date is in 2025.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
