Mother in Lexington Amber Alert waives right to preliminary hearing

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — Amanda Crout, whose children were at the center of the Lexington Amber Alert last month, appeared Tuesday in Henderson County General Sessions Court for charges of her own.

Earlier, she waived her right to a preliminary hearing on charges of filing a false police report, being an accessory after the fact, and a child neglect count from an unrelated case.

Crout is currently free on a $5,000 bond and her case will now go to a grand jury, which is expected in October.

Her husband, Octavis Crout, 28, who faces aggravated kidnapping and assault charges, waived his right to a preliminary hearing recently and will also send his case to the grand jury.

He’s currently jailed in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Crout’s mother, Lillian Manley, said she was a victim and did not deserve to be arrested. “If an abused woman gets kidnapped by her husband who abuses her for three hours, and then the police pick her up and she gets thrown in jail like she was the abuser, it’s pretty sad,” Manley said.

Crout is accused of kidnapping 31-year-old Amanda and her children at gunpoint.

Manley said she is happy to bring her daughter home. She is expected to get her kids back soon.