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Kelly said she thought the kids were going to drink regardless. She reasoned that supplying the alcohol and keeping them home would be safer than having them out drinking and driving. Court records show she spent $340 on beer and wine for the party that night. She said she made a deal with her son that no one could leave.

Kelly called the punishment harsh, excessive and politically motivated. "I'm not a hardened criminal," said the woman, who did not have a criminal record, not even a parking infraction. "I'm just a mom."

Camblos, who has made curbing underage drinking part of this year's re-election campaign, denied any political motivation. "Politics had nothing to do with it. I've seen too many photographs of teenagers being killed in car wrecks because of drinking and driving."

Camblos said there was "some suggestion by Mrs. Robinson that several kids could gargle with vinegar to hide the alcohol." Kelly, who changed her name after her divorce, denies it.

'I wish I could go to jail for her'

Kelly said the almost five-year "nightmare mess" has been very hard on her elder son. She said Ryan is shouldering deep guilt about his sports-coaching mother having to serve time for something he's still convinced was his fault.

"He's bawled his eyes out over it," she said. "I keep telling him, 'I was the adult. I made the mistake, and it's not your fault.' "

"I wish I could go to jail for her," he said last week, his eyes welling up.

Kelly said she's "scared" to go to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail, where each of her sons will be able to visit her only once a month for 15 minutes at a time, and worried about how her sons will fare without her.

After the incident, Ryan dropped out of high school, saying he couldn't take the constant attention. He shelved plans to attend college and now works full time at UPS.

"You'll see, Mom, I'm going to have a house for us by the time you get out," Ryan said last week after helping her move some of her stuff to storage. "And I'm going to take good care of Brandon."

"Not one minute of guilt, though, right?" Kelly asked her son, her arm draped affectionately on his shoulder. "Like we've talked about."

He answered, looking down, "OK, Mom, OK."

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