KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday night a fox4kc.com web producer uncovered an Indiana link to that mysterious wandering toddler case in Kansas City. On Thursday, FOX 4’s Robert Townsend discovered many more details about the new twist that centers on the child’s mother, 22-year-old Jessica Scott. Police said her two-year-old son A.J., who wandered away from home while supposedly being in the care of her boyfriend, remains in state custody.
On Friday, A.J.’s grandfather attended a state custody hearing and was able to visit with A.J., who, according to a FOX 4 reporter, enjoyed “bouncing around with family.” The next court date is scheduled for the morning of April 17. As for A.J.’s mother, she is miles away in Indiana where she pleaded guilty to a felony crime earlier this week.
According to the prosecutor’s office in Anderson, Ind., Scott pleaded guilty to attempted robbery on Thursday, a class C felony. She was placed on three years of home detention.
Indiana law stipulates that an offender placed on home detention is ordered to stay at their home with a few exceptions for work, medical and religious reasons. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said in a phone interview that he expects Scott will fulfill her sentence in Indiana.
“My impression would be that it would be here, but I don’t see anything in the records that indicates it would be in Kansas City,” Cummings said.
According to a probable cause statement, on June 4, 2013, Scott worked at an Indiana strip club under the alias of “Jo-Jo.” The documents revealed “Jo-Jo” left work to meet a man in the parking lot of a bar and allowed the man to get in her blue minivan.
Court papers allege she then drove a short distance, pulled the van over and her husband at the time, Aaron Scott, was hiding in the back of the van and attacked the guy. According to the probable cause statement, Aaron repeatedly hit the victim, held a seatbelt around his neck and tried to pull the man’s wallet out of his pants.
The two men fought, but the victim broke free and called police. About two weeks later, Aaron Scott’s father and sister told police that he and Jessica tried to rob and kill the man. Prosecutor Cummings said Jessica admitted to her role in the crime.
“Just acknowledged her involvement, she had to admit all of that. She confirmed it all,” he said.
On February 12, around the time she signed the plea agreement, Scott posted on her Facebook page: “Hello Felony.. Good Bye dream… Stuck in Indiana until wednesday morning. Someone help please.”
“We don’t have an address for her in Indiana,” Cummings said. “The probable cause information says “unknown,” so I assume she was staying with whoever she could stay with.”
FOX 4 called Scott’s lawyer in Indiana several times on Thursday, but he never called back. KCPD said that Scott contacted them on Wednesday. There is a custody hearing concerning A.J. in Jackson County scheduled for Friday.
Watch earlier coverage:
