The great-grandparents of a 2-year-old boy who died in a hot car last summer began serving their jail time Monday.
William and Margette Staten were booked into the Washington County Detention on Monday afternoon to begin serving their 60-day sentence for misdemeanor negligent homicide. A Washington County jury decided the sentence March 5 after the couple was found guilty in December.
Police said the Statens left their great-grandson, Joniah Chronister, in a hot car while shopping at the Springdale Walmart Supercenter on Aug. 3. The temperature likely rose to 150 degrees inside the dark-colored Ford Focus where the boy was buckled into a car seat, according to investigators.
Police said they believe they boy had been in the car for about two hours.
City Attorney Jeff Harper filed the misdemeanor charges and said the actions of the Statens were not deliberately reckless and did not meet the requirements to support felony charges.
Click here to read more on the case.
