Foster mom sentenced for supplying alcohol to teen involved in Carroll Township crash
Breanna Hilton was supposed to be a mentor for Jodi Morris’ teenage daughter, but instead she gave the 16-year-old girl access to a copious amount of alcohol and the keys to her SUV.
Hilton had asked Morris’ daughter to babysit her three foster boys at her North Strabane home on numerous occasions, but on Dec. 16, 2021, the teen and a 14-year-old friend were given access to alcohol, which apparently happened regularly.
The teen later crashed the vehicle in Carroll Township and had to be hospitalized, which Morris said “will forever haunt me as a mother.” The teen’s case was adjudicated through juvenile court and she was punished for her role in the crash, but Morris has been upset that Hilton’s charges languished for years before she pleaded guilty in July to one misdemeanor count of corruption of minors.
During Hilton’s sentencing hearing Thursday before Judge Traci McDonald in the Washington County Courthouse, Morris said she wanted accountability for the defendant’s actions with the “ongoing issues” of supplying her daughter with alcohol and keys to an SUV. She expressed concerns about why Hilton was able to plead down to a misdemeanor and objected to how prosecutors handled the case.
“Parenting is hard enough without a grown adult enabling a child,” Morris said while giving a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing. “My child could’ve been taken from me due to the careless actions of this grown adult.”
Hilton, 28, spoke during the hearing, addressing her apology to Morris and her daughter while also offering her “hope” that both of them are healing from the incident.
“I do not expect you to forgive me, but I do apologize,” Hilton said.
In asking for a lighter sentence, her defense attorney, Jacob Wyland, said Hilton is now 12 weeks pregnant with her first child and has never been in trouble with the law before. While Hilton’s plea likely would not include jail time, McDonald said she was weighing all factors when considering an appropriate sentence that included incarceration.
“If there was a fence, I’m sitting on it,” McDonald admitted before listening to victim impact statements and Hilton’s apology.
After hearing Hilton’s apology, McDonald noted the sincerity of the apology to Morris and her daughter, but questioned her lack of awareness by saying the “situation” adversely affected the lives of the three foster children she was caring for at the time.
“You and your bad decisions did that,” McDonald said.
McDonald added that Hilton was a role model for not only Morris’ daughter, but for other young people she came in contact with over the years, including her time as a foster mother. But she also pointed to the 16 character witness letters written on her behalf, which were in contrast to the accusations in the charging documents.
“Good people do bad things,” McDonald said. “The history shows consistent actions that weren’t a lapse in judgment. They were criminal.”
McDonald sentenced Hilton to serve 48 hours in the Washington County jail, followed by six months house arrest and five years on probation. She also required Hilton to pay court costs and any restitution to Morris and her family for the teen’s therapy. Hilton, who has been free on bond since she was charged in March 2022, will report for her two-day incarceration at the Washington County jail on Feb. 7.