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Woman pleads guilty to attempted child abuse; receives suspended two-year TDOC sentence and probation
Summary
Heather Marie Churchson pleaded guilty to an amended count of attempted child abuse and no-contest to simple possession of methamphetamine; the judge suspended a two-year TDOC sentence to supervised probation with strict drug-testing and concurrent county sentence with fines.
Heather Marie Churchson pleaded guilty May 20 in Dixon County Criminal Court to an amended count of attempted child abuse and entered a plea of no contest to simple possession of methamphetamine, and a judge ordered a suspended two‑year Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) sentence and supervised probation.
The plea resolves two separate indictments the court identified as 2024 CR 66 and 2025 CR 304. Under the agreement announced in court, the amended attempted child‑abuse count carries a two‑year TDOC sentence as a Range I offender, suspended in favor of supervised probation; the simple‑possession charge carries an 11‑month, 29‑day county sentence, suspended to supervised probation, and a $750 fine plus court costs, to run concurrent with the TDOC sentence. Counts 2, 3 and 4 in the 2025 indictment were nolle prossed by the state.
The judge described conditions of probation: Churchson must undergo an alcohol and drug assessment, follow recommended treatment, submit to a "zero tolerance" drug policy with at least monthly drug screens, and comply with existing juvenile‑court orders related to her child. The court warned, "That means you test positive one time, you will go to prison for two years." The judge also ordered payment of court costs.
Prosecutors told the court that a Department of Children Services (DCS) investigation and related evidence would form the state's factual basis: at the time of an investigation connected to a Humphreys County traffic stop, the minor child tested positive for methamphetamine, cocaine and THC; both the child and Churchson had positive tests on initial screening, and a later hair‑follicle test showed varying results. Defense counsel said the juvenile court previously restored custody after the mother complied with juvenile‑court requirements and that a hair‑follicle test taken later on the mother was negative; the defense asserted the child may have been exposed while the biological father had access to the child.
The court clarified the difference between the pleas: a guilty plea to the attempted child‑abuse count may lead to testimony under oath about that offense, while the no‑contest plea to possession means Churchson is not admitting the act but will not contest the state's evidence offered to support conviction. The judge confirmed Churchson understood rights being waived by the pleas.
The court accepted the plea agreement and entered judgment consistent with the announced terms.
