Warrant issued for arrest of mother found guilty of leaving child in hot car
Oct. 29—SUNBURY — A warrant was issued for the arrest of a Watsontown mother found guilty of causing brain damage to her 21-month-old daughter after she failed to appear for her sentencing in Northumberland County Court on Friday morning.
Tonia Lee Sones, 28, who has been free on bail since 2018, failed to appear in front of President Judge Charles Saylor at 9:15 a.m. Friday. Saylor immediately issued a bench warrant for her arrest.
A jury in August found Sones guilty of three felony counts of aggravated assault and three misdemeanor counts of simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
Sones was accused of leaving her 21-month-old daughter in a vehicle for five hours on June 1, 2018, which caused brain damage to the child. Sones claimed she only intended to leave the child in the car for a few minutes but came inside the home and fell asleep.
The girl is now in legal custody of her maternal grandmother, Tina Sones. The girl, who turned five on Aug. 23, has never fully recovered from her injuries, having cognitive and developmental disabilities.
Public Defender Michael Suders, who represents Sones, said he last spoke to the defendant last week and asked her to come in for a meeting to discuss the sentencing date. She did not come in for the meeting, he said
Assistant District Attorney Julia Skinner, the lead prosecutor in the case, said she would contact the police in Milton because Sones lives near the barracks.
