SCOTTSDALE

Shanesha Taylor sentenced to 18 years probation

Sarah Jarvis
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com
Shanesha Taylor addresses the media following her settlement with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office on Friday, July 18, 2014. Taylor must complete a diversion program to have the child-abuse charges dropped. She was charged in March for leaving her children in the car in Scottsdale while at a job interview.

The job-seeking mom who was arrested last year after leaving her children in her car while she interviewed with a Scottsdale insurance company was sentenced Friday to 18 years supervised probation and allowed to apply for interstate travel.

Shanesha Taylor had previously pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse in an effort to resolve a case that garnered national attention after her tearful mugshot was widely shared on the internet.

Taylor's defense argued at her sentencing that the mother of four did not mean to hurt her children, and had made a bad judgment call.

The lengthy probation sentence was handed down to ensure that Taylor's children would be adults when she completed the terms.

Taylor, 35, left her sons, ages 2 years and 6 months at the time, in an SUV while she interviewed for a job at a State Farm Insurance in Scottsdale. In addition to her sentence, she will have to complete parenting classes and a treatment program for domestic-violence offenders.

Shanesha Taylor's mugshot.

After missing two deadlines to contribute money to her children's trust fund as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office reinstated the initial prosecution in October 2014.

Taylor, who claimed she was homeless and jobless, said she did not want to pay because the agreement would restrict her children from the money unless they go to college.

Taylor's claims sparked a range of reactions from the community, including a crowdfunding effort which raised her over $100,000 and prompted prosecutors to raise the amount she was required to contribute to the fund.

Taylor was arrested on March 20, 2014 after someone heard crying coming from a car parked in an office complex and alerted police. According to reports, Taylor told police she left them there because she could not find day care.

Her defense team has said she wants to move to Chicago, where she expects to have financial support.

Prosecutor Faith Klepper said the state was concerned about Taylor's sense of responsibility. She said Taylor lied during the trial, claiming to have been living in a car when she was really living with family, Klepper said.

Klepper argued Taylor was offered jobs as she was trying to get employed, but that those opportunities were wasted when she refused them.

Klepper also said that Taylor, who once blamed her inability to secure work on media coverage, invited media attention with press conferences she held during the last year.

But Taylor's defense attorney, Valeria Llewellyn, said Taylor did not turn down jobs, and that "efforts were made and interviews were attended."

"Cameras and microphones are thrust in her face ... she felt compelled to defend herself," Llewellyn said.

Llewellyn said Taylor's status as a military veteran left her with a mentality that makes it "hard to admit that things aren't working out."

Superior Court Commissioner Jeffrey Rueter said he considered Taylor's decision to leave her children in the car an act that was influenced by economic desperation.

Rueter noted that Taylor complied with the terms laid out by the Department of Child Safety. He said she ultimately used "criminally poor judgment."

Taylor declined to comment during and after the sentencing.