By Nora Dahl
MODESTO, CA – Jennifer Waddell took a plea deal here Tuesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court after being charged in her preliminary hearing of stealing a vehicle and hitting a neighbor with it.
Waddell pleaded guilty to her felony counts as charged, admitting a special allegation for a 180-day jail sentence.
Waddell was accused with, on Jan. 8, 2022, taking the car keys out of the hands of the car owner, and then driving in the direction of a neighbor, whom she hit with the front of the vehicle, pushing the victim forward.
The prosecution declared that this action was assault, intended to cause great bodily harm, although no testimony was heard that described injuries, if any, to the victim.
Waddell was charged with two felonies: assault likely to cause great bodily injury and unlawfully hijacking a vehicle.
Aside from her jail time, Waddell is to receive 24 month supervised probation with the Stanislaus County Probation Department under the general probation terms and conditions.
When Judge Shawn Bessey began outlining the basic terms of probation, declaring that the defendant must pay a $40 security fee and $30 criminal conviction assessment fee, Waddell began to stir in her seat.
Judge Bessey looked at Waddell and asked if she could please pull up her face mask, as it had begun to slip off her face. Waddell pulled up her mask, and Bessey continued outlining probation terms in an attempt to wrap up the session.
But as the judge neared his conclusion, decreeing that Waddell cannot possess any firearms ever as a felon, Waddell began to murmur something inaudible.
Fed up, the judge told Waddell that she needed to stop talking. Judge Bessey told the court that there was a court reporter present and that the reporter can only take notes on one person’s voice at a time.
