Mother of missing SC boy facing assault charge

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - The mother of a Columbia boy who has been missing since last year is now facing an assault charge.

Jail records show that Zinah Jennings has been charged with third-degree assault and battery.

Jennings' attorney has said the charged stems from an allegation that his client pushed and shoved a jailhouse nurse over medication earlier this year. Jennings has been ordered by a judge to take an antipsychotic drug.

Jennings has been in jail since late last year on a charge of cruelty to children. Authorities say she has refused to tell them the whereabouts of her son, 2-year-old Amir Jennings.

The young mother is pregnant with a second child. Her trial on the cruelty charge is set to begin later this month.

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