Woman pleads guilty, sentenced to 8 years for aggravated sexual battery of a minor

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A woman has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a sex crime involving a child.

According to District Attorney General Frederick Agee, 43-year-old Vanessa Hartsuff pled guilty Tuesday in the Circuit Court of Gibson County, in front Judge Clayburn Peeples, to aggravated sexual battery of a minor.

Agee says the charge stems from a March 2019 incident at a residence in Dyer involving unlawful sexual contact with a 12-year-old.

Hartsuff was sentenced to serve eight years at 100% in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

Agee says because Hartsuff is wheelchair-bound, she’ll be housed at a special needs prison.

She will also remain on community supervision for life and the sex offender registry for life upon her release.

“Our office is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our community, our children, who deserve the opportunity to grow up without the physical, mental, and emotional trauma of abuse,” Agee stated.

Agee thanks the Dyer Police Department, Child Protective Services, and the Murfreesboro Child Advocacy Center for their assistance in the investigation.

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