A Mechanicsville woman has been sentenced to five years’ probation after being found guilty of abusing her 11-year-old daughter. The sentence was imposed on Brandi Smith, 31, by St. Mary’s County Circuit Court Judge Karen Abrams after a sentencing hearing Thursday. Smith was found guilty of second degree child abuse and second degree assault on January 22.
Assistant State’s Attorney Julie White had asked for the top of the state guidelines: three months to four years. White told the judge, “Eleven years ago Mrs. Smith received a gift. She may or may not consider it a gift.” She said her daughter “has suffered much at the hands of her mother and stepfather. Mrs. Smith took the opportunity and threw it away. She almost destroyed that child.” The child’s stepfather, William T. Smith, Jr., 28, has pled guilty to second-degree assault in St. Mary’s County District Court and will be sentenced on May 17.
White then held up a picture showing results of the beating of the girl, noting that the judge had seen the same picture during the trial. After the hearing White, holding up the same picture, told the Bay Net she was “shocked” at the judge’s decision. Shaking her head, she said the woman got away with doing that, pointing at the photograph.
Judge Abrams said the sentencing posed a difficult decision for her. She said in the end she felt that the best thing for the child was to not have her mother incarcerated so that there was a possibility of the family being reunited. Mrs. Smith’s attorney Bryan Dugan said the girl wanted to be returned to her mother. She is currently in a foster home out of the area.
White told the judge that the girl has been told by her mother that she was bad and that the mother refused to accept any responsibility for her actions. “Now she is dealing with the consequences of believing she is a bad child,” White said.
In testimony, the Supervisor of Foster Care for the St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services Theresa Atley verified what White’s contention. She said the child has learned that abuse and instability are the norm in her life and that it has been reinforced by her family that what happened is her fault.
The foster care supervisor described the 11-year-old girl as “very confused.” But she added that the girl is “brave and resilient. Her mother has impressed to her child that these things are her fault.”
Atley said that Mrs. Smith had not cooperated with them and that she denied that what happened was her fault. Dugan denied that, pointing out that Smith had attended two classes and was willing to attend counseling at Walden now that the counselor has been changed. The original counselor testified against her at the trial.
