Conway mom avoids prison after 2-year-old shoots self in leg
A Conway mother avoided prison time after her 2-year-old shot himself in the leg, and then the family fled to New York without seeking medical care.
Instead, Holly Dew will serve one year on probation after pleading guilty to unlawful neglect of a child.
Dew appeared via video in Horry County Court on Monday. Her plea included a negotiated sentence for probation instead of prison. Judge Steven John sentenced her to three years in prison, but suspended it for the probation.
Assistant Solicitor James Stanko said the plea for probation was because Dew was willing to testify against co-defendant Rocky Sessions. But, Sessions previously took a plea deal that saw him spend a year in prison.
Dew was arrested in April 2018 after her toddler shot himself while in Conway. A loaded gun was left in a room with the child.
Stanko said Dew did not seek immediate medical attention for the child.
“Ms. Dew instead put all her children in a car and drove all the way up to New York state,” Stanko said.
Drew initially told Horry County police she would meet with officers at a local shopping complex after a witness reported the incident. But, she didn’t show up, according to a report.
Dew was pulled over in New York, where the child received treatment.
Defense Attorney Daniel Selwa said Dew was in a relationship that involved domestic violence allegations at the time of the shooting.
Rocky Session was wanted in New York for domestic violence against Dew and he didn’t want to take the child to a hospital, Selwa said. He added it was an “ill-advised” situation, but that his client cooperated once arrested.
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify who faced charges in New York.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 1:41 PM.
