An Arizona mother who was accused of driving her pickup truck through a park and running over a 12-year-old girl’s leg has been sentenced.
Brandie Gotch, 31, was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated assault in connection with a violent trip to a Peoria park in February 2024, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Saturday, June 14.
“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,” Mitchell said in a statement after being sentenced.
Gotch went to Westgreen Park to pick up her children after they had a fight, and other kids were allegedly “egging them on and recording the altercation,” according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
According to records previously obtained by AZFamily, Gotch arrived at the park around 4 p.m. local time on February 27, 2024, in a white Chevy Silverado.
According to the MCAO, a boy on the playground called Gotch a name while she was walking her children back to the truck. The 31-year-old then “started pulling him by his hair” and chased another boy “around the park with a stick” after he called her a name.
AZFamily previously reported that Gotch yanked the 14-year-old boy’s head back and forth. According to court documents, she allegedly yelled, “I am going to kill you and run you over” while chasing the child with a stick.
“Gotch then got in her truck with her children. The second boy was standing behind the truck, dancing and mocking her. He eventually moved away to support his sister,” the statement from the attorney’s office read. “At that point, Gotch backed out of the parking space, revved her engine and drove right at the boy and his sister.”
While the boy managed to avoid the vehicle, Gotch’s truck ran over his sister’s leg, according to the attorney’s office.
Gotch then drove through Westgreen Park, which had “over a dozen” children. According to the attorney’s office, some “had to run to get out of the truck’s path.”
According to AZFamily, Gotch told police that the preteens threw wood chips at three of her children and that one of them punched her 10-year-old daughter.
According to The Arizona Republic, Gotch said, “I hope I didn’t,” when asked about running over the girl’s leg. She also claimed that children at the park called her a “bitch.”
She was later arrested at her home after leaving the park.
According to AZFamily, Gotch was initially charged with six counts of endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He was held on a $250,000 cash bond.
“Even when they are angry or frustrated, adults must behave appropriately. “It is never okay to vent our rage on a child,” Mitchell wrote in her statement.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453.
