ANDALUSIA | RICKEY STOKES NEWS
A former Red Level woman has been sentenced to the maximum prison term after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse in a case involving two young children.
According to the Covington County District Attorney’s Office, Melinda Chance Lee, 60, entered a guilty plea as the child victims were preparing to testify. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and is currently incarcerated at Tutwiler Women’s Prison under the Alabama Department of Corrections.
The investigation began in 2022 after the Covington County Sheriff’s Office responded to Andalusia Health, where a six-year-old child was found to be severely malnourished, badly bruised, and suffering from significant burns. The child was later transferred to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital for extensive medical treatment.
Investigators said a second child in Lee’s home, a nine-year-old sibling, had also suffered severe mental and emotional abuse. Authorities reported that both children described repeated and extreme abuse, and search warrants executed at Lee’s residence recovered items that supported the children’s accounts.
Court records show Lee admitted to some of the conduct but attempted to place blame elsewhere. She later filed a motion to withdraw her guilty plea, which was denied, making the conviction final.
Officials said both children have since been adopted and are now doing well.
