TYLER, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video was published on May 19, 2023.
A Smith County woman convicted of abusing her adopted twin teenage sons in 2019 was sentenced to six years' probation after accepting a plea deal Tuesday morning.
Cheryl Layne, of Whitehouse, who is a nurse practitioner, was found guilty of injury to a child on Friday after a jury reached a decision nearly six hours later.
She and her husband, Mark Layne (a Tyler Police Department officer at the time), were both arrested in September 2019 after the 13-year-old twins reported being abused by their adopted parents to a school resource officer.
The arrest affidavit details abuse, including beating the children with an archery arrow, a belt and their hand and making them eat out of the trash. The document states the children showed bruising and redness.
During a Tuesday court appearance, Cheryl Layne agreed to a plea deal that led to her receiving probation.
Judge Austin Reeve Jackson of the 114th District Court sentenced her to six years' probation. She was ordered to have no contact with the twin sons and write an apology letter to them.
Jackson also deferred a sentence of 30 days in jail until after she serves two years of her probation; however, if she follows the outlined conditions that jail sentence will be waived.
She has to continue the counseling that she's currently attending and complete the batterers intervention program as a part of her probation.
Mark Layne has not yet been indicted (formally charged) in this case and has had no court dates.