A Lexington woman who admitted to running over her 12-year-old goddaughter was sentenced to two years in prison Friday.

Jullie Belle Reese, 48, was taken into custody after the hearing to begin serving her sentence. Reese will be held at the Fayette County Detention Center until the state Department of Corrections decides her prison placement, public defender Chris Tracy said.

Reese tearfully pleaded guilty in May to reckless homicide, telling Fayette Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Bunnell she accidentally ran over Lees town Middle School student Sierra Hubbard on June 24, 2011, after a day of playing at Constitution Park, near Northern Elementary School.

Mark Reese, Jullie Reese's husband, said Friday that he and his wife watched Sierra and her two sisters almost every weekend for 12 years. The Reeses first met Sierra's mother at a cookout and offered to baby-sit for her, he said.

"Those kids loved Jullie, and Jullie loved them," he said. "We did everything in the world for those kids for 12 years."

Sierra was walking next to Jullie Reese's van, which was going about 5 mph, when she fell and was hit by the van's back wheel. Sierra had gotten mad at one of her sisters and asked to walk to Reese's house. Reese refused but offered to let her walk to the edge of the park's property, Mark Reese said.

Jullie Reese was charged after toxicology results showed marijuana in her system. Mark Reese said she had smoked a joint earlier in the day, but he doubted it affected her driving or decision-making.

Tracy said Reese apologized to Sierra's mother and siblings, who were in the courtroom during Friday's hearing.

Reese will be eligible for parole after serving about 15 percent of her sentence, Tracy said. She also may apply for shock probation within six months of the start of her sentence.

Josh Kegley: (859) 231-3197. Twitter: @HLPublicSafety.