A mother who was jailed for a fourth time last week for failing to comply with court order requiring she take her daughter to visit an incarcerated father has seen her sentence modified.
Instead of serving 21 days consecutively, a judge modified the Atwood mother’s sentence so her time could be served on weekends.
RELATED: Kosciusko County mom back in jail for refusing to bring her daughter to prison
28-year-old Jennifer Logan was sentenced to 21 days in Kosciusko County Jail for refusing to take her daughter to prison to visit her 7–year-old’s father.
The girl’s father, Sammy Davis Jr., successfully petitioned the court for visitation while serving a sentence for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and causing a death.
Logan had been jailed three other times for refusing to comply with the order to take her daughter to the prison for visitation.
The order was originally signed by Kosciusko Circuit Judge Michael Reed in 2014. Reed has since stepped away from the case.
Under a sentence modification, Judge Torrey Bauer is allowing the sentence to be served on weekends.
The weekend jail stays will continue until, Nov. 17, which Bauer has set aside for Logan to take her daughter to visit Davis in Wabash Valley Correctional facility in Carlisle.
Logan said the order has lifted her spirits, but by Friday when she has to report to jail again, reality will set in, she said.
If she does comply, the court will re-evaluate the sentence at that point.
However, Logan says she has no intention of following the order.
When she took her daughter to the prison, her daughter laid on the floor and she had to drag her in, she said.
Logan says she is doing what she believes is in the best interest of her daughter.
She described her relationship with Davis as abusive and says Davis is still harassing her from the prison with court actions, requests for money and threats.
Logan, who has two other children, usually has her roommate watch the kids while she is incarcerated.
In addition to Logan’s concern about her daughter’s emotional state by visiting the prison, she cited financial concerns for her refusal to make the trip.
The prison is about a 450-mile round-trip from Logan’s home in Atwood. Logan says she lost her job due to her most recent incarceration and doesn’t own a car.
Logan’s plight angered many who heard or read stories of her incarceration. Many questioned how she could be jailed.
“It’s unusual for a judge to order a single mother to make a 450-mile (trip) at her own expense to visit a parent in prison,” said Amy Applegate, clinical professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. She added that while she hasn’t seen all the evidence the judge has access to, the order seems a little extreme at face value.
“Why isn’t Skype chat an option?” she said.
Applegate added it is unusual for prisoners to see their children. “Most of them communicate by phone calls and letters,” she said.
Applegate pointed out that Davis hasn’t had much of an opportunity to build a relationship with the child. Davis has been in jail or prison since the child was born. He did not file for custody rights until the child was around 4 or 5. Applegate said it’s rare for courts to grant visitation to someone who didn’t have a prior relationship with the child.
Logan said she is looking for the next step, which may include hiring a private lawyer to take the case.
She is looking for a new job and says she is grateful for the offers of support she received from the public.
Since news of her fourth jailing broke, many people have taken to social media to express their displeasure with the ruling and offer support for Logan.
“I cried when I read what people said,” she said.
