TIFFANY D. NELSON, d/o/b 9-22-1985, of Branson, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, to the class C felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, in the Circuit Court of Taney County. Former Taney County Circuit Court Judge Laura Johnson accepted Nelson’s guilty plea just hours before the case was scheduled to be tried. A sentencing assessment report was ordered and Judge Johnson scheduled Nelson’s sentencing for March 27, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. There is no plea agreement as to what sentence Nelson will receive.

On August 5, 2016, Joshua E. Holler a/k/a Joshua Hollar, d/o/b 6-13-1986 – Nelson’s live-in boyfriend – pleaded guilty to the class B felony of child abuse, for having severely beaten and shaken Nelson’s sixteen-month-old child in July of 2015. Holler was sentenced to twelve (12) years in prison as part of a plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office. Nelson’s guilty plea related specifically to her delay in getting medical treatment for her child following Holler’s abuse.

The class C felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree carries a maximum punishment of seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a $5,000.00 fine.