Arizona Mother Sentenced to 10 Years for Running Over 12-Year-Old Girl in Park
An Arizona mother was sentenced to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to aggravated assault charges for running over a 12-year-old girl with her pickup truck during a quarrel in a park. Brandie Gotch, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The incident occurred in February 2024 at Westgreen Park in Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix. Gotch’s children were fighting with other kids in the park while being egged on and recorded by onlookers. When Gotch arrived to pick up her children, a confrontation ensued after a 14-year-old boy called her a name. Gotch allegedly grabbed the boy by the hair and yelled at him before retrieving what appeared to be a sharp stick from her white Chevy Silverado and chasing another boy who had called her a derogatory name.
As Gotch corralled her four children into her truck, the second boy continued to taunt her. Gotch then revved the engine and drove towards the boy and his 12-year-old sister. While the boy managed to jump out of the way, Gotch ran over the girl’s leg, causing injuries. The mother then proceeded to drive through the park, narrowly missing over a dozen children who had to leap out of her path.
During an interview with detectives, Gotch admitted to driving through the park but claimed she didn’t think she had run over any children, stating, “I hope not.” Gotch justified her actions by claiming that the children in the park had been bullying her kids at school and that she had reported them to authorities, but nothing had been done.
However, her children told police they were not wearing seatbelts during the incident and were “bouncing all over the vehicle.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell commented, “This could have been a much more tragic situation; thankfully the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises. Even when angry or frustrated, it’s up to adults to act like adults. It is never okay to take our rage out on a kid.”
Gotch was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her actions.
