NEW YORK _ A Brooklyn mom whose videotaped arrest became a cause celebre fought back tears Wednesday after a plea bargain resolved the last of her legal woes.
A calm and collected Jazmine Headley, 23, was led into the Mercer County Courthouse in handcuffs before clearing the last legal hurdle in a furious five-day battle and leaving as a free woman.
"I'm just happy to be reunited with my son," said Headley, choking back her emotions outside the Trenton courtroom when the hearing was over.
After her release on the pre-trial intervention agreement, Headley headed immediately back to Brooklyn to spend more time with her 18-month-old boy.
"Justice works in strange ways, but it worked very well today," said her attorney, Brian Neary. "Jaz is real happy that this event is now behind her, and she's looking forward to being with her mom, her 1-year-old and returning to her life."
Headley, 23, spent four days on Rikers Island before two court decisions cleared the way for her emotional Tuesday night reunion with the little boy.
The child was forcefully yanked from Headley's arms when she was arrested last Friday, with a video of the confrontation going viral. After a public outcry, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez dropped the charges of resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child brought against her.
A Brooklyn judge then released Headley without bail from the city jail Tuesday afternoon in the Jersey case.
According to her lawyers, Headley pleaded guilty in New Jersey to credit card theft in a deal where all charges will be dismissed and expunged from her record after three years _ or six months if a decision is made for early termination.
"Today is a great day for Jazmine and her mom and her little boy," Neary said.
Headley agreed to pay $1,000 in restitution and $125 in court fees, and to complete 20 hours of community service.
"Thank you!" she declared at the end of the hearing.
Headley was in custody on Rikers Island for an April 24, 2017, bench warrant after her failure to appear at a New Jersey arraignment on the credit card case.
The Brooklyn parent's legal odyssey began with her Friday afternoon arrest inside a Brooklyn social welfare office. Headley, with her toddler in tow, went to the city Human Resources Administration center after discovering her child care benefits were suddenly cut off.
Mother and son waited four hours for help before the confrontation with authorities that led to the snatching of the little boy and the mother's arrest.
Public defenders went to bat for the incarcerated woman, winning her release from Rikers on the Garden State charges just hours after Gonzalez dropped the New York counts.
A video of the showdown last week captured the forcible separation of mother and son, with Headley left lying face-up on the floor after cops yanked the little boy out of her arms. At another point, one of the officers on the scene pulled her stun gun and aimed it toward the upset crowd.
The arrest became the focus of public scrutiny and criticism, with New York politicians joining the voices calling for Headley's freedom.
