Mother of duct-taped toddler appears in court

Jayla Hamm, the 18-year old Beatrice woman convicted of negligent child abuse, appeared in Gage County Court Thursday morning for her custody hearing. 

Hamm is the mother of the toddler who was duct-taped to a wall by Hamm and her boyrfriend at the time, Corde Honea.  Honea is serving 3-5 years in prison for child abuse and also for a series of burglaries he was connected to.  Hamm served 10 days in jail after striking a deal with prosecutors to connect Honea to the burglaries.

Last week, the case made national headlines after photographs of the duct-taping were released to media.  The photos show the boy duct-taped to a wall.  In another, it shows a sippy cup duct-taped to the wall out of the boy's reach.

In Gage County Court, the judge reviewed Hamm's child custody situation.  She is currently allowed visits with the boy under strict supervision.  During the three months, supervision will become less strict.  In three months, the court will review her case to determine if she's allowed full custody.

Her next court date is January 21, 2011.