An Arizona mother, Brandie Gotch, 31, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated assault. The incident occurred in February 2024 at Westgreen Park in Peoria, Arizona, when Gotch drove her white Chevy Silverado pickup truck through the park and ran over a 12-year-old girl’s leg.
The events leading up to the incident began when Gotch arrived at the park around 4 p.m. on February 27, 2024, to pick up her children after they had been involved in a fight. Other kids at the park were allegedly ‘egging them on and recording the altercation.’ The situation escalated when a boy on the playground called Gotch a name, prompting her to react violently. She started pulling the boy by his hair and chased another boy around the park with a stick after he also insulted her. According to court documents, Gotch allegedly yelled, ‘I am going to kill you and run you over,’ while chasing one of the children.
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After getting into her truck with her children, Gotch backed out of the parking space, revved her engine, and drove towards the boy who had been mocking her and his sister. Although the boy managed to jump out of the way, Gotch ran over his sister’s leg. She then continued driving through the park, where over a dozen children were present, forcing some to run to safety.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell stated, ‘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.’ Mitchell also noted that while the situation could have been much more tragic, the worst injury was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises.
Gotch was initially charged with multiple counts, including endangerment, aggravated assault, and attempted first-degree murder, and was held on a $250,000 cash bond. When speaking to police, Gotch claimed that the preteens had thrown wood chips at her children and that she believed one of them had punched her 10-year-old daughter. She expressed remorse for running over the girl’s leg, saying, ‘I hope I didn’t.’
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