HAMLIN, W.Va. — A Lincoln County couple has copped a plea agreement in connection with the death of one child and the near death of another.
Jack Parsons Jr. and Tara Adkins this week entered guilty pleas to one count of child neglect resulting in death and a second count of child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury. The pair allowed their two children to wander away from their home near Hamlin in June 2024.
The children, a boy age 3 and a girl age 2, wound up in a nearby pond. When the were found, the toddler girl had drowned and the toddler boy was near death and taken to a hospital.
The criminal complaint indicated both thought the other was keeping an eye on the youngsters.
A judge immediately sentenced them to 3 to 15 years and 1 to 5 years on either count to be served consecutively. However they were credited withy more than a year in jail awaiting the charges.
The sentence was suspended and instead they were given 36 months of probation which could lead to early release if the would successfully complete 24 months.
The two will also have to register with the child abuse registry and will be under extended court supervision if they make it to the 24 month mark.