On Wednesday, May 30, 2012, Taney County Circuit Court Judge Mark Orr issued guilty verdicts against Veronica Michelle Davis a/k/a Mia Smith (d.o.b. 08/06/1982), of Branson, Missouri, on two felony counts of endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree. Judge Orr scheduled Davis’ sentencing hearing for June 21, 2012.

The trial took place on Thursday, April 26th, in Forsyth. The evidence stemmed from sexual abuse allegations by Davis’ children against Davis’ husband, Robert David Nelson. Nelson was a registered sex offender prior to his relationship with Davis, and Davis was directed by multiple state agencies to keep her children away from Nelson. Instead, however, Davis married Nelson, then left her three (3) children – all under the age of ten (10) years – with Nelson while she left the area for several months. During that time, Nelson sexually abused Davis’ two (2) daughters. Nelson was found guilty by a Christian County jury of those crimes in 2011, and is scheduled for sentencing July 6th.

Davis was charged by the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office as a prior and persistent felony offender, meaning she has at least two (2) prior, unrelated felony convictions. Endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree is a class C felony, which normally carries a maximum prison sentence of seven (7) years. However, because Davis is a prior and persistent felony offender, her maximum sentence on each count is fifteen (15) years in prison.