BATON ROUGE- Schaquana Spears, a mom who stole the hearts of the community and nation, is thanking those who stood behind her after she was arrested for disciplining her kids last year. She is officially clear of any cruelty charges she received following the incident in June of 2016.

Spears whipped her kids with a belt after she caught them breaking into a neighbor's house. Spears was taken to jail for cruelty. Her arrest set off a firestorm around the nation with people calling in to support her.

"I didn't want them to commit another crime," Spears told WBRZ back in June. "I did what I was raised to do and what my mother did to me."

Spears became an internet phenomenon after people learned about her story. Support quickly grew, and tonight her life is back on track. She has officially been cleared of any charges against her. The mom of six says she's planning to move to New Orleans soon where her two oldest kids are currently in school.

Even though charges were dropped, according to Spears, she won't regain full custody of the older kids until May.

"I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your prayers, thoughts, encouraging words during my trying time," Spears said. "That's what helped me get by."

As Spears reflects on what happened, she's grateful for the generous people who opened up their wallets to help pay her court fines so she could get back on track.

As for her kids, she knows they're excited to get back together again.

"This whole experience has really taught them a lesson," Spears said. "I don't think I'll have that to worry about them doing the wrong thing again."