Kandice Lynn Drinks, 31, of Newport News, Virginia
Kandice Lynn Drinks, 31, of Newport News, Virginia, has been sentenced following her guilty plea in a 2023 child abuse case that occurred in St. Mary’s County, according to court documents.
Drinks, was charged in connection to a child abuse incident involving her infant son. The case, which originated in the District Court of St. Mary’s County and was later transferred to the Circuit Court, concluded with Drinks pleading guilty to felony child abuse in the second degree – custodial, and misdemeanor second-degree assault.
Drinks was sentenced to 15 years in jail, with all but one year suspended, for child abuse . She was also sentenced to five years of supervised probation following her release.
According to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy K. Marsh initiated the investigation after receiving a report from the Maryland Department of Human Services on May 2, 2024. The report indicated that video footage existed showing Drinks repeatedly striking her four-month-old son on the back with closed fists while the child cried. The video was reportedly provided by a cousin of the child’s father and described by the reporter as resembling an attack “like King Kong.”
The incident occurred in March 2023 at a residence on Rogers Drive in Lexington Park, where Drinks had been temporarily staying. The child’s father, who has had custody since the incident, told authorities he was alerted to the abuse by a family member and took immediate custody of the child. The footage reportedly shows Drinks lying on a couch, striking the infant several times while saying, “I don’t know what you want from me anymore buddy.”
On May 7, 2024, Drinks was located and arrested at a Dollar General store in Lexington Park. After being read her rights, Drinks admitted to investigators that she had aggressively struck the child because he would not stop crying.
She was initially charged in the District Court, but the case was transferred to the Circuit Court. On January 10, 2025, Drinks entered a guilty plea. Her sentencing took place on May 7, 2025.
Kandice Lynn Drinks, 31, of Newport News, Virginia
