Natasha Hunt, 24, was also sentenced this month in Marinette County Circuit Court to a year in prison, but credited for 313 days already served. A video of the abuse was livestreamed on social media on Aug. 24, 2023.

The complaint alleged that Hunt repeatedly pulled her son’s hair in her Niagara home, saying “ouch” and that Amara Burns, 26, of Marinette, Wis., did nothing to intervene and continued to record the abuse. When police attempted to arrest Burns, she resisted and kicked an officer in the face, the complaint said.

Burns was sentenced earlier this year to three years of probation for assaulting or threatening a judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer. She was given an 18-month deferred sentence, followed by two years of extended supervision, online court records show.

Hunt was sentenced after pleading guilty to physical abuse of a child — intentionally causing bodily harm. A disorderly conduct charge was dismissed, but was read into sentencing.

AMARA BURNS

In a July 2 sentencing hearing before Judge Jane Sequin, Hunt quietly apologized for her actions and promised to take all necessary steps to become a better person, the Marinette EagleHerald reported. She will not have to serve any jail time unless she violates the terms of her probation.

According to the EagleHerald, Hunt must undergo counseling, including parenting classes and an anger management program. She is not to possess alcohol or drugs without a valid prescription, including THC, regardless of whether it is legal in the state. She must take all prescribed medications; she is not to frequent bars, taverns, liquor stores or other establishments whose primary purpose is the sale of alcohol; she is not to visit any pharmacy; she is to have no contact with drug users or sellers except during treatment; she is subject to random drug testing; she is to have no contact with the co-defendant; and she is to have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18 unless recommended by the officer and all treatment programs have been completed. She is also required to maintain a full-time job.

Sequin, the EagleHerald reported, said rehabilitation is very important to the sentence. The judge said Hunt knows she faces jail time if she doesn’t follow the terms of her probation.

The maximum sentence for the assault charge is six years in prison. Hunt had no criminal record but admitted to drinking every day and regularly using marijuana, cocaine and drugs not prescribed to her, the judge said.