Prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke probation for a Memphis mother whose two young children died in a house fire
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Melodia Dunn, 27, was booked into jail Thursday evening.
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Dunn left two of her children alone in their Effie Street home back on October 19, 2009. While she was gone, the house caught fire. LaDereon, 3, and Cetereon, 2, died.
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Dunn pleaded guilty to attempted child abuse and reckless homicide charges. As part of the deal, she was sentenced to 14 years, none of which in prison but rather all of on probation.
As part of that probation Dunn was ordered to go to therapy and take medication for a mental illness.
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the district attorney's office learned Dunn stopped doing both and a warrant was issued for her arrest on a probation violation.
She was scheduled to appear in court on that probation violation a few weeks later but didn't show up.
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learned it was because she just had another baby.
Dunn received a driving citation on June 3, 2014, in which she was charged with driving with a suspended license, having expired registration, and driving without insurance.
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say Dunn is not complying with required conditions of her probation.
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Judge James Beasley issued another warrant for Dunn's arrest. She appeared in court Friday afternoon.
"She loves her children. Melodia is not a bad person," her defense attorney, Bill Massey, said. "And I think she still carries this burden. She says she wakes up every morning thinking about it, those two children that she loved dearly."
"There's a myriad of conditions that are placed on probationers," said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich. "That's the whole point of probation is rehabilitate offenders so they do not come back into the criminal justice system."
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says his client has mental health issues, has no driver's license, but is working a part-time job and trying to care for her 1-year-old.
"Melodia has compliance issues, and it's because of the difficulty in complying and when you add all the other problems Melodia faces it just makes it hard for her,"
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The judge will hear arguments August 21. Until then, Dunn will be locked up without bond.