Shanesha Taylor sentenced to 18 years probation for leaving kids in hot car

PHOENIX — A Phoenix mother who left her children in a hot car while she interviewed for a job was sentenced to 18 years of probation on Friday.

During her sentencing hearing, Taylor’s attorney said the mother was ready to move past the incident and had learned from the situation. She did not address the court.

Taylor also must to attend parenting classes.

Shanesha Taylor pleaded guilty in March to felony child abuse.

The sentencing closes the books on a story that went national over a year ago.

Taylor was arrested in Scottsdale after a passerby saw the unsupervised children sweating inside a locked car and called police. Authorities said temperatures inside the car had passed 100 degrees.

A teary mugshot of Taylor went viral and so did her story of being a woman who was trying to get back on her feet and care for her children. Strangers donated $114,000 to help her.

The compassion began to fade when reports of how Taylor was spending the money began to surface.

A good chunk of the money was supposed to go into a trust fund for the children, a stipulation of a previous plea agreement. Taylor failed to meet the deadline for doing so and charges were reinstated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.