Community News: North Carolina Prosecutors Present Plea Deals for Parents of 7-Year-Old Boy Killed While Crossing Steet Alone

The parents of a young boy tragically killed by a vehicle while crossing the street without adult oversight have accepted plea agreements that dismissed the original charges related to their son’s death and mitigated their sentences. Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins faced involuntary manslaughter and child neglect accusations after their 7-year-old son, Legend, was fatally struck by a car on May 27 in Gastonia, North Carolina. Authorities indicated the parents allowed Legend and his 10-year-old brother to walk home unaccompanied from a nearby Subway, with Ivey at a Food Lion two blocks away and Jenkins having consented to the outing. Tragically, Legend was struck by an SUV while crossing a busy street.After their arrests, which occurred two days post-accident, their bond was adjusted from $1.5 million to $150,000. Following intense public discourse and widespread scrutiny, both Ivey and Jenkins accepted plea deals. Jenkins was sentenced to supervised probation following a guilty plea to felony child abuse with serious injury, while Ivey pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse, receiving a similar probation term.