The mother of another teenager involved in a violent gun crime has been arrested in connection with her child’s actions, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Last week, Sheriff Leon Lott vowed to begin holding parents criminally responsible for their children’s crimes. His department initially charged the mother of a 13-year-old who admitted shooting and killing a sheriff’s K9. This week, the mother of a 14-year-old accused of killing a 15-year-old in December was arrested, according to a news release.
Deputies on Monday charged Patrice Johnson, 48, with accessory after the fact of a felony/murder in connection with the shooting death of a 15-year-old on Quinton Lane on Dec. 16, 2024, a news release said. Johnson is the mother of a 14-year-old who was charged last month with, among other things, murder in the 15-year-old’s death.
Johnson, deputies say, knew about the 15-year-old being shot before waiting nearly two hours to notify police, the release said.
On Friday, Lott said the arrest of the dog killer’s mother marked a new new strategy to fight youth gun violence.