PONTIAC, Mich. – A Pontiac woman accused of abandoning her children and leaving them in what officials described as squalor was sentenced Wednesday on her welfare fraud charges.
Bryant had previously pleaded no contest to three counts of welfare fraud in December.
“Welfare fraud, with the financial damage being over $500, that you be placed on probation for a period of two years. That you serve 112 days in the Oakland County Jail, credit for 112 days,” Brennan said in court.
The welfare fraud case is tied to accusations that Bryant continued to collect public assistance benefits for her children after allegedly leaving them alone.
Bryant, who appeared in court shackled, also learned Wednesday that she has been found competent to stand trial on three counts of first-degree child abuse.
“We’ll see you Monday, Aug. 24, for trial,” Brennan said, setting a date toward the end of the summer for the child abuse case.
Bryant is accused of abandoning her three children and leaving them in a rental home in what investigators called squalor.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has said the children survived primarily on weekly DoorDash and Instacart deliveries after allegedly being left alone since 2020 or 2021.
They were discovered last year after the landlord requested a welfare check, stating that Bryant was behind on rent and had not contacted him in months.
Attorney and former judge Vonda Evans, who is not involved in the case, said both prosecutors and the defense could face significant challenges at trial.
“This is going to be an uphill battle,” Evans said.
She noted that while Bryant has been found competent, meaning she understands the charges and the court proceedings, mental health issues could still be brought up by the defense.
“A competency finding only determines whether you know what you’re being charged with and that you are being charged in a court,” Evans said. “What I do surmise will be an issue are mental health issues that will say she did not, she could not knowingly or intentionally cause this.”
In addition to probation and time served, Bryant was ordered to pay more than $29,000 in restitution related to the welfare fraud case.
She is expected to return to court in August for trial on the first-degree child abuse charges.