Inset: Misty Sue Coleman (Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy in Tennessee (Google Maps).
A 48-year-old mother from Tennessee was arrested after allegedly hitting her daughter with a car in a moment of anger over her missing the school bus. This incident occurred in the school parking lot subsequent to dropping the child off.
Misty Sue Coleman was detained following the event and charged with aggravated child abuse or neglect. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office highlighted the incident happened on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy located on Bailey Avenue in Chattanooga, according to a news release.
The school, which serves students from grades 6-12, is about 140 miles southeast of Nashville.
On that morning, the “School Resource Deputy” at the academy was alerted to a report of a student struck by a parent’s vehicle within the school premises, as stated by the sheriff’s office.
School staff mentioned that Coleman’s daughter, whose identity and age were kept confidential, entered the principal’s office “visibly upset” and informed them that her mother — named Coleman — was angry due to her missing the bus.
“The student reported that as she was exiting the vehicle, her mother accelerated before she was fully out, hitting her right ankle and then leaving the campus without stopping,” the sheriff’s office explained in the release.
Surveillance footage from the school’s parking lot was acquired by investigators, which affirmed the victim’s description of the events.
“The video showed the student partially exiting the rear passenger side before the vehicle accelerated, striking the child and leaving the scene with the door still open,” the release states.
Following the preliminary investigation, deputies arrested Coleman on the abuse charge. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and the fact that it “pertains to a juvenile,” the sheriff’s office said it would not release any additional details about the case.
Coleman was released from detention after posting bond and is currently scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on the morning of Sept. 3, records show.
