A Peoria mom, Brandie Gotch, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for driving her pickup truck through a park full of kids, ultimately running over a 12-year-old girl.
Gotch pleaded guilty to three counts of Aggravated Assault, a Class Two Dangerous Felony.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in February 2024, Gotch’s children were fighting with each other at Westgreen Park in Peoria. Other kids at the park were egging them on and recording the altercation.
As this was happening, Gotch arrived at the park to pick up her kids. While walking them back to her truck, a boy on the playground called her a name. Gotch went over to him and started pulling him by his hair. A second boy called her a name, and she chased him around the park with a stick.
Gotch then got into her truck with her kids. The second boy stood behind the truck, dancing and mocking her. He eventually moved away to stand by his sister.
At that point, Gotch backed out of the parking space, revved her engine and drove right at the boy and his sister. He was able to jump out of the way, but his sister’s leg was run over. Gotch kept driving through the park where more than a dozen other children were at the time, including some who had to run to get out of the truck’s path.
She then drove away from the park and was arrested at home a short time later.
“This could have been a much more tragic situation; thankfully the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Even when angry or frustrated, it’s up to adults to act like adults. It is never okay to take to take our rage out on a kid.”
