Sentencing did not take place as originally scheduled Wednesday for an Emporia woman who pleaded earlier this year to interfering with parental custody in a case that gained statewide attention early this year.
Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman says Jessica Suzanne Downs, 42, failed to appear for her sentencing hearing Wednesday morning in Lyon County District Court. A bench warrant has since been issued.
In late April, Downs entered a so-called Alford plea of no contest to misdemeanor interference with parental custody and was subsequently found guilty. An Alford plea means the defendant says he or she is innocent but admits there is enough evidence to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Back in January, Downs allegedly kept the youngster for two days longer than the visitation agreement indicated by court records provided to KVOE News. The child was reported as missing, setting off an intense law enforcement search with Emporia Police investigating the case as a felony-level interference case before the boy was found safe.
