The woman who drove a van with her kids inside into the ocean will be allowed to move out of a state psychiatric hospital and into transitional housing, a Volusia County judge ruled Thursday.
- Ebony Wilkerson in court Thursday for hearing
- Wilkerson drove van with kids inside into the ocean in 2014
- Judge released her from state psychiatric hospital
- PREVIOUS STORIES: Coverage of the Ebony Wilkerson case
Ebony Wilkerson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to allegations she drove her van into the ocean at Daytona Beach with her children inside. In the 2014 incident, she left the vehicle and her kids behind, and lifeguards had to rescue the children.
Judge Case will release Wilkerson from involuntary commitment. Says she cannot leave the state or county without permission. @MyNews13
— Erin Murray News 13 (@emurray1) June 29, 2017
Both Wilkerson and her husband were pleased with Thursday's ruling to release her from involuntary commitment.
“God works in mysterious ways. Doing a 360. You know, we started from here, and it’s going to end here,” husband Lutful Ronjon said.
Judge Leah Case was tentative with her decision but said if certain conditions were met, it would be good for everyone to have Wilkerson move into transitional housing.
The conditions:
- Wilkerson would move into a structured facility in Volusia,
- She would stay on injectable medication, and
- She would have complete access to mental health services.
Case spoke with two doctors who filed reports on Wilkerson, a local mental health organization and the head of the transitional home where Wilkerson will move.
Wilkerson “minimizes her mental health illness, and she does not believe that she needs medication," Case said. "However, she's smart enough to say what she needs to say, to get where she needs to be.”
The judge also said Wilkerson's monitored visits with her four children should stop until a licensed therapist makes an evaluation on whether she's a danger to the kids. Wilkerson’s lawyer said that will be done within the next few days.
The children are now in their father’s custody in South Carolina.
"All I want to say is that you always got to have faith, and you got to trust in God. And you got to move forward,” Donjon said.
Wilkerson is expected to move to the transitional home late Friday morning.
Last year, the court ordered Wilkerson back into a state hospital after she violated her probation.
In this file image from 2014, rescuers save Ebony Wilkerson's children after she drove the van into the ocean off Daytona Beach. (File)