GREENFIELD — A Hancock County jury this week found a Carmel woman accused of starving her teen son guilty of two counts of neglect, court officials say.
The state’s case against 44-year-old Brandee Johnson was transferred into Hancock County earlier this year after a Hamilton County judge decided she wouldn’t get a fair trial in her hometown because of extensive news coverage of the proceedings.
Johnson was accused of neglecting her six children, two of whom were hospitalized after being found to be malnourished and with physical injuries consistent with abuse, according to court documents.
Johnson and Hamilton County prosecutors spent three days this week arguing before a Hancock County judge and jury. Greenfield attorney Jeff McClarnon was appointed to serve as Johnson’s public defender.
The jury deliberated for just an hour Wednesday evening before finding Johnson guilty, court officials said.
Johnson was arrested after her 14-year-old son ran away from home in August 2016.
After he was found by police, he told them he’d left because of abuse he’d suffered at his parents’ hands, saying he often went without food and was beaten regularly, according to court documents.
He told investigators he’d spent the night huddled under bushes and boxes outside of a Carmel Kroger as a bad thunderstorm passed through the area, according to court documents.
The boy was examined at an Indianapolis hospital, where doctors found he weighed 72 pounds at 5 feet tall, court documents state. He had injuries all over his body, including bruising to his ribs and chest, court documents state.
At least one of the boy’s siblings was also hospitalized with similar medical issues, court documents state.
All six children were immediately removed from Johnson’s care, according to police.
The case caught the attention of media outlets in Indianapolis, and, in October, Johnson asked the judge to move her case outside of Hamilton County. The judge agreed, and sent the case to be heard in Hancock County, records show.
Johnson originally faced three counts of child neglect, one as a Level 5 felony count and two as Level 6 felony counts. Hancock County Superior Court 1 Judge Terry Snow dismissed one of the Level 6 felony counts prior to this week’s trial, records show.
She denies the allegations against her.
She told investigators her son was a problem child who was “ruining their lives,” court documents state. She said the boy had privileges taken away from him only when he was in trouble.
She said he was given plenty to eat, but sometimes stole food from the kitchen pantry and trash can, which resulted in punishment, court documents state.
Johnson will return to Hancock County Superior Court 1 next month for sentencing.
The Level 5 felony count she faces carries a penalty range of one to six years in prison. The Level 6 felony count she faces carries a penalty range of six months for 2½ years in prison.
Johnson’s husband, Quantae Johnson Sr., 42, of Carmel, who was also charged in the case, pleaded guilty and is serving a six-year sentence, records show.