Bottoms sentenced to 11 years for toddler’s death

By ERIN SANSON
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter

Ashley Bottoms was sentenced on July 17 to 11 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the death of three year old Hunter Drew.

Bottoms was taken into custody on October 22. She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in April.

According to court documents, Bottoms was breaking up a fight between two juveniles and threw the child against a wall, hitting his head. Bottoms then drove around for more than three hours with the child in the vehicle without seeking medical care. Hunter died due to a brain bleed.

According to reports from News Channel 20, Kiel Quigley, Hunter’s uncle and Vicky Nichols, Bottoms’ mother, both took the stand.

They also reported that Bottoms’ defense team asked for a three to five year sentence. Macoupin County State’s Attorney’s Office argued that Bottoms’ history with the law and the Department of Children and Family Services needed to be taken into consideration.

Judge Joshua Meyer handed down the sentence. Bottoms was given 270 days credit for time served. According to News Channel 20, the court said it gave the proper weight to Bottoms’ past criminal and DCFS history.