Mom sentenced for driving into park with group of kids, hitting 1 of them

PEORIA, Ariz. — A Valley woman has been given a 10-year sentence after she drove her pickup truck through a park full of children during a “rampage” in 2024.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said a 12-year-old girl was run over during the the incident.

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Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the sentence for Brandie Gotch, 32, in a news release.

Gotch had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault, a class 2 dangerous felony.

“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,” Mitchell said.

The incident happened in February 2024.

Before Gotch drove into the park, there was an incident involving her children and some other kids, according to the news release.

“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,” the news release said.

There were a dozen kids present when the incident happened.

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“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, ” the news release further detailed.

Some of the kids got away, out of the path of Gotch’s truck.

Gotch then went back to her vehicle and got it. She backed out of her parking spot and drove toward a boy and girl.

“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,” the news release said.

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 Gotch then drove away from the park and was arrested at home a short time later.

“This could have been a much more tragic situation,” said Mitchell. “Thankfully, the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises.”

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