Ottawa mother pleads no contest to three charges related to accident leading to son’s death

A 40-year-old Ottawa woman pleaded no contest Monday in Franklin County to three misdemeanor charges after her son was struck by a vehicle in March and later died.

Tammy Lynn Payne entered the pleas Monday morning to two counts of child endangerment and one count of DUI with a prior conviction, also a misdemeanor, court administrator John Steelman said.

Prosecutors charged Payne after Ottawa police said her son Alex Bowles-Gregg died from his injuries March 12 after he was struck by the family’s vehicle outside the family’s home in the 1000 block of South Cottonwood Street.

Days after the accident, police said no one was driving the vehicle when Bowles-Gregg was injured and the family had just returned home. Officers also collected evidence to determine if alcohol was a factor in the accident.

After her plea, Judge Kevin Kimball found Payne guilty of the three counts and ordered her to undergo an alcohol and drug evaluation. Kimball scheduled her sentencing for 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22.