Jury Decides Today If Mom Gets Prison For Lying

POSTED: 5:06 pm EDT May 17, 2007
UPDATED: 6:04 am EDT May 18, 2007

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- A Cobb County jury will decide Friday if a mother of three should spend time in prison for lying about where her family lived.

Prosecutors said Jeanine Echols repeatedly lied just so she could place her children in Marietta city schools.

Echols told jurors Thursday she never meant to deceive the Marietta school district. She said she only placed her three kids in city schools because that’s where her family lived.

"We had family in place that could make sure they got to the bus, they were picked up so if I worked late I didn’t have to worry about my child," said Echols.

SURVEY: Should Mom Face Prison For Lying?

Echols said her three children excelled in school. In fact, she attended two awards ceremonies for two of her children days before deputies came knocking on her door.

"The very next day, May 18, I was arrested and I sat in jail for over 5 hours. I had never seen the inside of a jail," said Echols.

But in closing statements, prosecutors told jurors the case was simple. Prosecutors said Echols signed legal documents seven times saying her family lived at addresses in the city, when in fact, prosecutors said, they did not.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a lie is a lie, and our law says when you lie to the government you have commited a crime," said assistant district attorney Grady Moore.

But Echols defense attorney called the 16 felony charges overkill. They asked jurors to send a message that prosecutors have gone too far.

"She wanted her children to get a good quality education in a situation where they would not be latch-key children, where they would not have to come home alone, where would not have to have a babysitter, where they would not have to have daycare, where their family would be responsible and take care of them," said attorney Vic Reynolds.

If convicted, Echols could face significant jail time.
Copyright 2007 by WSBTV.com.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13341382/detail.html

MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY LYING ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND RECEIVING TAXPAYER BENEFITS AND YET THEY ARE PROPOSING AMNESTY. WHAT's WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?