UPDATE: Court grants disposition to Smyth County grandmother in child abuse case

A Smyth County, Virginia grandmother has received deferred disposition from a Circuit Court judge after pleading guilty to leaving her grandson in a hot car for over an hour while she shopped at Walmart.

Betty Jean Lyons, 71, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse for the June incident in Marion where the child was rescued by a policeman who broke the car windows to get him out.

The ruling allowed the court and prosecutors to decide on an alternative sentence with specific guidelines for Lyons in accordance with the plea agreement.