The Richland County Solicitor’s Office has confirmed that a new judge has been assigned to review the sentence in last year’s Talisha Smith case.
The Solicitor’s office says that Circuit court Judge J.C. Nicholson of Anderson will reconsider the sentence in a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 28.
Monday’s news marks the latest in this much watched case that gained notoriety in December when Smith, a local daycare owner, was given probation after pleading guilty to slapping 19-month old Kendra Gaddie.
Disappointed by the sentence, Kendra’s parents, Patrick and Michelle Gaddie, launched a grassroots campaign that culminated in March when embattled case judge Kenneth Goode announced his retirement.
Most recently, “Kendra’s Act,” a bill named after Kendra Gaddie, cleared its first legislative hurdle by passing a Senate subcommittee. If adopted, “Kendra’s Act” would require a minimum two-year sentence for daycare workers in South Carolina convicted of seriously injuring a child has received initial approval.
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