A woman accused of tattooing her neighbor’s 11-year-old daughter was sentenced to two years of probation and 80 hours of community service after changing her plea and avoiding a potential trial.
Lauren Christina Halley changed her plea in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court to “Guilty or No Contest” and received the aforementioned sentence on July 25.
According to court records, Halley received a total of two years of probation and must complete 80 hours of community service with the Marion County Solid Waste Department. Her community service “as arranged by the misdemeanor probation office.” She must also appear in person at the office in Ocala to make arrangements for doing the hours.
The charges come just under six months after Halley was arrested on misdemeanor charges of tattooing a minor without parental consent and practicing tattooing without a license or registration.
On January 2, the victim’s mother contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to report that her child had been tattooed by Halley. At the time, the mother advised that she had left her 11-year-old child with her boyfriend at their residence in Fort McCoy while she went to a doctor’s appointment. The report stated that when the mother returned home, she discovered her child was at Halley’s residence.
An MCSO corporal noted in the report that the mother’s child had been to Halley’s home “several times before,” and the mother was not initially concerned. However, when she went to retrieve her child, she allegedly saw Halley “putting away a tattoo gun.” When the mother commented on the tattoo gun, Halley advised that she had “given the (child) a tattoo.”
The original arrest report stated that the victim’s left thigh had a penny-sized tattoo of a heart, which “appeared to be permanent due to the coloration appearing to be within the skin, as well as minor irritation and redness to the area.”
In a written statement, the child said that Halley gave her the tattoo. The child’s mother informed the corporal that she did not consent to the tattoo, adding that she did not sign any form for her child to be tattooed by Halley. According to the report, the corporal contacted the Florida Department of Health, and a database search revealed that Halley did not have a tattoo artist license.
The sheriff’s office was initially unable to locate Halley. Four weeks after the incident, on Thursday, January 30, Halley was arrested on a warrant for tattooing a minor without the consent of the parent/guardian and practicing tattooing without a license or registration. Halley was booked into Marion County Jail, and she was released the following morning after posting bond.
Court records show that Halley first entered a plea of not guilty on February 12 and that she changed her plea on July 25, when she was sentenced.
In addition to the probation and community service, Halley must also make restitution to the victim in the amount of $1,209.