The Marion County mother charged last month with neglect for making her young daughters - both under age 10 - walk to school along Valley View Highway as punishment for missing the bus didn't appear for her court hearing on Monday.
Lisa Marie Palmer, 32, was issued a citation to appear Monday in Marion County General Sessions Court but when she didn't show up, a warrant was issued charging her with failure to appear in court, according to court officials.
Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" Burnett said he plans to discuss the case with the district attorney's office.
"Right now there's an active warrant for her arrest," Burnett said. "We're going to speak to the DA and find out what we need to do."
Palmer had been cited March 1 for child neglect and driving without a license after Marion County sheriff's deputies responded to a call about the situation and spotted two girls with a dog "walking the fog line just south of Ketner Mill Road and a gold Cadillac parked on the shoulder, engine running, just north of Ketner Mill Road," Deputy Chris Ladd's report states.
Palmer of Chicken Dave Road near Whitwell, told deputies her daughters were being punished for missing the bus, Burnett said.
"I'm not against punishment but I am concerned about safety," Burnett said on Monday.
The officers "tried to handle this as easy as they could, but the officers felt like she put the kids in a dangerous situation," the sheriff said, noting that authorities found that about 2,000 car use Valley View Road daily.
"There's no sidewalk and state law says you're not allowed to walk the road without a sidewalk," he said. The sheriff said state law prohibits pedestrians from walking on the pavement where vehicles travel.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.