Illinois Mother Charged with Two Felony Counts

 Posted on April 27, 2012 in Juvenile Crimes

An Eligin mother has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and of aggravated battery in a public way. Anita R. Joost, 46, is facing two felony counts for an incident involving her 16-year-old daughter and another 15-year-old girl.

According to a report in the Daily Herald, police say Joost’s daughter told her the other girl, who Joost’s daughter had problems with, wanted to meet her at Shadow Hill Park to talk and try to resolve their issues. The daughter told her mother she wanted to physically fight the other girl. The mother agreed and drove her to the park.

The police claim that once they arrived at the park, the girls began talking but Joost told her daughter to “Kick her (butt).” At that point, the daughter tried getting the other girl to fight by calling her names and intimidating her.

When the 15-year-old refused to fight, Joost used her cell phone to record and take photos of the confrontation. She then instructed one of her daughter’s friends, who was watching the incident, to tell her daughter to either hit the girl or leave. The two girls struggled, with the daughter pushing the other girl, punching and pulling her hair. When the teens separated, Joost threatened the 15-year-old.

The report also says that Joost and her daughter admitted their involvement in the fight and police have the recordings from Joost’s phone. She is currently being held on $50,000 bail and if found guilty faces between three and seven years in prison. Joost could also receive up to four years probation or a $25,000 fine.

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Image courtesy of Graeme Weatherston