Mother gets suspended sentence in roadside abandonment of 8-year-old son

A Richmond woman who left her 8-year-old son on the side of a Dinwiddie County road after arguing with him about his performance in a bicycle race was convicted today of contributing to his delinquency and given a 12-month suspended jail term.

Leanne Denise Casolaro, 38, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge, reduced from felony child neglect, in Dinwiddie Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. A judge sentenced her to 12 months in jail but suspended the entire term.

She also was ordered to submit written reports every 90 days about her progress while undergoing mental health counseling for a year, which she had already begun, said Dinwiddie Commonwealth's Attorney Lisa Caruso. She has no prior criminal record, Caruso added.

In addition, the Dinwiddie Department of Social Services will conduct periodic checks on her over the next seven years, Caruso said.

An accompanying charge of reckless driving was dismissed after Casolaro made restitution for damages in a wreck she caused while looking for her son after initially abandoning him.

State police arrested Casolaro after an Aug. 30 incident with her son in the 7000 block of Boydton Plank Road in Dinwiddie. According to police, Casolaro's son had competed in a BMX race that day at the Virginia Motorsports Park.

While returning from the event, Casolaro started arguing with her son about his performance, and at one point forced him from the car and drove away.

Nearby witnesses saw the incident and temporarily took custody of the child while calling police. Casolaro soon returned to the scene to pick up her son but could not locate him. While making a U-turn during her search, she collided with another vehicle, police said.

State troopers investigated the crash and the child's abandonment after arriving on the scene.

"I think she reached a breaking point (during the confrontation with her son) and made a very poor decision," Caruso said.

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or .