COFFEE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A mother was taken into custody after being accused of involvement in the 2023 death of her infant son.
Coffee County deputies said when they tried to serve an indictment related to the ongoing investigation into the homicide, Julianna Leasure locked herself in her vehicle before leading them on a high-speed chase.
“When they came to her home, rather than submitting to the arrest, she got in her vehicle, locked herself in her vehicle, drove through her yard and led the police on a chase,” Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott said. “She was going 80 to 100 miles per hour, was crossing across the median, going against traffic. She put countless lives in danger.”
As of publication, Leasure is in custody on multiple charges — some related to the death of her 3-month-old son Joseph, others related to the chase.
“The ones that are most difficult are when you deal with an infant or a young child that is just completely innocent and the person that is entrusted to provide for them is the one that harms them,” Northcott told News 2.
Northcott said Joseph’s autopsy showed the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.
“It just doesn’t get much more tragic than that,” Northcott added.
Northcott said he was determined to get justice for her son, adding he was disappointed a judge set her bond at $74,000.
“[I] expected a higher bond in this case,” Northcott said. “And then you add what happened afterwards — obviously a flight risk and the additional danger that she placed our community in.”
Leasure is expected to appear back in court later this month.
