Pender mom accused of trying to drown kids pleads to child abuse

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County woman accused of trying to drown her four young children pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two counts of misdemeanor child abuse.

For each count, Aeisha Milton received a sentence of 75 days in jail. Milton has been in jail since October, so she got credit for time served.

Milton’s mother, Geraldine Williams, called 911 in October of 2017 saying her daughter was trying to drown her four children in a bathtub. The children ranged in age between 10 months and 3 years old.

Shortly after the arrest, Milton’s sister denied those claims. Velma Smalls told WWAY last year that her sister and their mother had argued before that 911 call.

“She chased my momma with a bottle, a broken bottle, but she never tried to kill her kids. She never tried to drown them,” Smalls said in a 2017 interview.

Milton was originally charged with four counts of attempted first degree murder.

When asked about the lesser charge of child abuse, the district attorney’s office said there were “witness credibility issues.”