Brittany Ann Horton was also placed on probation and must pay a fine.
A Michigan mother was given jail time this month after her young child missed more than two dozen days of school, according to reports.
Brittany Ann Horton, 27, was ordered on Nov. 16 to spend five days behind bars and was placed on probation for nine months after she pleaded guilty to truancy.
Horton’s 6-year-old daughter apparently had at least 26 unexcused absences from school, ABC News reported.
The school said it sent multiple letters home to Horton beginning in October 2017 and scheduled a parent meeting about the issue, but Horton never showed. On Jan. 22, the school referred the case to prosecutors.
"Our office does not file charges against parents who are genuinely trying to resolve the issues. The vast majority of chronic truancy cases never end up in court," Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
"However, when parents like Ms. Horton refuse to make reasonable efforts to address the truancy problem, our office is committed to making sure the children of our community are not deprived of an education,” Hilson said.
The Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office in February followed up with Horton in an attempt to resolve the issues without involving the court. They sent a letter and scheduled a meeting with Horton, but she allegedly never responded or showed up, prosecutors told ABC News.
The prosecutor’s office filed a charge of truancy against Horton on March 5, but she did not appear for her arraignment after posting bond. A bench warrant was subsequently issued for her arrest.
On May 17, Horton pleaded guilty after agreeing to work with the school and service providers to resolve the issue, and the court delayed her sentencing to give her time to do so.
But instead, Horton’s daughter was absent from school at least 14 more times. In addition to jail time and probation, Horton was ordered to pay $525 in fines.
"Our office is committed to doing anything possible to help parents resolve truancy problems. Filing charges is always a last resort after all other attempts to help a parent have been rejected," Hilson said in a statement. "Had Ms. Horton met with us, the school or service providers, she would have been provided any services needed to address any possible issues."
InsideEdition.com’s attempts to reach Horton were unsuccessful.
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