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Sugar Cookie

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The TBI has issued an endangered child alert for a 3-year-old Zella Linklater who was taken by her grandmother.

According to Holt, officers “know that [the grandmother] walked into the woods with [Zella].”

The grandmother had Zella while her parents were out of town, and Zella’s parents were “trying to get the child back,” Holt said.

Per Holt, the parents saw the grandmother driving with the child. When the grandmother noticed the parents were behind her, “she jumps out of the car with the child and takes off into the woods.”

“At this point, we don’t know what state of mind the grandmother is in or where the grandmother went with this child,” Holt said. “She could be in the woods; she could’ve gotten a ride out of here — be somewhere else.”
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According to the TBI, the grandmother, 54-year-old Belinda Wilson, has been charged with custodial interference and child neglect/endangerment.

Wilson remains at-large, and Zella is still missing.
 
Zella’s mother weny to pick the child up, but Wilson allegedly refused to return the little girl. Zella’s mother, who had recently gotten married, had just returned from her honeymoon when she went to retrieve her daughter.

Wilson was reportedly concerned over COVID-19 issues, and got into her car and drove away with Zella. The child’s mother followed them. Wilson then stopped and exited her car, and fled into a remote wooded area with her granddaughter.
 
There would have been absolutely nothing wrong with the couple self quarantining for a bit. If it were me and my kids and I had been off honeymooning - I would quarantine. I did for a long time and I am more lax about being around the kids but I decontaminate after every shift.. my scrubs nor shoes ever come inside or washed with anything else - and I wear a mask if I even feel really tired and run down..
 
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There would have been absolutely nothing wrong with the couple self quarantining for a bit. If it were me and my kids and I had been off honeymooning - I would quarantine. I did for a long time and I am more lax about being around the kids but I decontaminate after every shift.. my scrubs nor shoes ever come inside or washed with anything else - and I wear a mask if I even feel really tired and run down..
yeah, most people I personally know here that have died got rona second or third hand. Know others that have gotten it & their whole family ended up with it & luckily they didn't spread it to older than them but down kids, grandkids etc. Apparently they are talking about maybe having to bring people up from Texas if it gets worse there but like here no one thought it was a big deal so now they have hospital beds in enclosed parking lots
 
Belinda Renee Wilson was not sentenced for kidnapping. While she was initially indicted on a kidnapping charge following a November 2020 incident with her granddaughter in Greene County, Tennessee, that charge was officially dismissed by the state. [1, 2]

Instead, she entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge and received the following sentence: [1]

The Sentence
  • Conviction: Felony custodial interference.
  • Sentence Details: She was sentenced to 18 months of state-supervised probation.
  • Plea Type: She entered an Alford plea (a "best interest" plea), meaning she did not admit guilt but conceded that a jury could convict her based on the evidence.
  • Judicial Diversion: Granted by Criminal Court Judge John F. Dugger Jr.
  • Dismissed Charges: The state dropped the more severe charges of kidnapping and child endangerment in exchange for her plea.
Case Background
  • The Incident: On November 26, 2020, Wilson took her 3-year-old granddaughter into the woods in the Horse Creek Recreation Area of the Cherokee National Forest. [1, 2]
  • The Search: The child's mother followed Wilson's vehicle to a dead-end road, after which Wilson and the child walked into the remote woods on foot. An Endangered Child Alert was issued. [1, 2]
  • The Rescue: Law enforcement and emergency agencies searched through freezing overnight temperatures dipping into the 30s. Both Wilson and the child were located safe the following day, and the child was returned to her parents.
 
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