UPDATE: Mother found guilty of leaving child in hot car said she was suicidal
Oct. 30—SUNBURY — A Watsontown mother convicted of causing brain damage to her daughter said she was moments away from taking her own life when state troopers came into the home and apprehended her on Friday morning.
Northumberland County Judge Charles Saylor issued a bench warrant for Tonia Lee Sones, 28, who has been free on bail since 2018, after she failed to appear for her sentencing on Friday. After she was apprehended, she told the judge she was suicidal and had her finger on the trigger when police came for her.
She said she had been planning on taking her own life after 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. Saylor on Friday afternoon sentenced Sones to 4 1/2 to 10 years in prison and recommended she seek counseling while in state prison.
"I didn't know how I was going to take my own life, I just knew I was going to do it," Sones said as she wept and sat shackled in the courtroom Friday afternoon. "My boyfriend and my family didn't know my intentions."
Assistant District Attorney Julia Skinner, the lead prosecutor in the case, asked state police in Milton to go to Sones's house in Watsontown. When police arrived, Sones's boyfriend Tyler Yocum at first claimed he didn't know where Sones was, but then admitted she was there on the second request, said Skinner.
Police found Sones hiding in a closet. Sones said she was prepared to pull the trigger of the gun she stole from her boyfriend but couldn't figure out the safety of the firearm. She said her boyfriend grabbed the gun and troopers apprehended her and put her handcuffs.
"Tyler had no idea what I was going to do," she said.
Sones said she came from a rough childhood and claimed her mother was abusive. She called her daughter her soulmate and said she vowed to make her daughter's life better than her own.
"I never had a purpose in life until (her daughter) was born," said Sones.
Sones was accused of leaving her then-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, and has cognitive and developmental disabilities.
Public Defender Michael Suders, who represents Sones, said Sones has no prior record and had no issues with drugs or alcohol. Sones was not malicious.
Saylor advised Sones to seek mental health counseling while in prison.
"Do what you can in prison to come out a better person for yourself and your child," said Saylor.
Saylor said the child will need a lifetime of care.
"This was a real tragedy for (the girl) that was preventable," said Saylor.
In addition to jail time, Saylor sentenced Sones to pay $150 worth of fines, plus court costs and fees.
Skinner said the case was a difficult one.
"Hopefully this brings closure to everyone involved," said Skinner. "I'm grateful for the hard work of the state police. I'm thankful for the jury."
Suders, who had no comment after the hearing, told the judge that he intends to file post-sentence motions to appeal the aggravated assault charge and sentencing.
