Mom Accused Of Abuse Pleads Not Guilty

Police: Woman's Adopted Kids Said They'd Been Kept In Closet

FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- A Spring Hill woman accused of abusing and neglecting her two adopted children pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Williamson County courtroom Tuesday.

Police found Shelly Blair's adopted 12-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter wandering in their Spring Hill neighborhood in October.

The officers said the girl weighed about 40 pounds. Both children told police that they had been hit and kept in a closet.

Last month, police arrested Anthony Talley, who, they said, helped Blair hold the kids captive. Talley also pleaded not guilty.

Blair was charged with child abuse in 2003.

Blair's next court appearance for the current charges is scheduled for April.

The children are in state custody,