Man Accused in Child Abuse Case Gets $1 Million Bond

Shelby County, TN— A judge increased Adam Lambert's bond from $200,000 to $1 million during a hearing on Friday after the State successfully argued against a reduction. Facing charges of Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect, Lambert asked the court to lower his bond to $100,000 through his defense counsel, blaming his co-defendant for the crimes.

During the hearing, ADA Tanisha Johnson urged Judge Coffee to consider Lambert’s prior criminal history, noting misdemeanor convictions across four states. The State also emphasized the severity of the offense and the strong likelihood of conviction. The 2-year-old victim in the case suffered second-degree burns covering a large area of her buttocks, burns to her hands and feet, a black eye, a fractured leg, and a fractured spine. While Lambert did not admit to causing the injuries, he acknowledged knowing about some of them and failing to seek medical treatment for the child.

Describing the injuries as evidence that the child was “basically butchered,” Judge Coffee deemed the initial bond inadequate and raised it to $1 million. The child’s mother, also a co-defendant, attended the hearing at her attorney's request to observe the potential consequences of a bond review.

The hearing was handled by Tanisha Johnson.