May 11th, 2008
In Kokomo, Indiana, Mary Deakyne, 4, and her cousin, Justin Leonard, 4, were abused daily by their mothers, who are sisters. They youngsters were bound and kept in a closet for weeks at a time. They were also bound with zip ties to door knobs and other household items to restrict their movements.
The childrn are being treated at a hospital for their injuries. Mary has several broken bones in her hands and arms in various stages of healing. Her cousin has bruises and cuts. Water and food were kept from the children for long periods of time. And a neighbor said she had never seen the children, which meant they probably never left the house.
The children’s mothers, Jennifer Leonard, 36, and Melissa Chandler, 30, face charges of neglect and aiding, inducing or causing battery. The other adults in the home are also charged. Madeline Hawk, 42, faced charges of neglect and battery, and her husband, Donald Hawk, 33, was charged with neglect.
The children’s fathers do not live with them, but little Mary’s dad does keep in touch.
All four adults are being held without bond pending initial court appearances.
I’m just hoping that with good support and lots of therapy, these children can have a normal life. As far as the adults go, lock ‘em up and throw away the key.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 5 comments
May 10th, 2008
In Aztec, New Mexico, Crystal Rios, 22, plead guilty to child abuse. She was arrested earlier this year after her two-year-old son was found wandering in the snow wearing only just his diaper.
When police showed up they found that the boy and his eight-month-old sister had bite marks and bruises on their bodies. One of the children also had an untreated broken arm.
Rios faces up to three years in prison on the third-degree child abuse charge. It was also determined that she was not directly responsible for the injuries, but allowed them to happen. It is believed that Rios’s then-boyfriend, Francisco Romero, 21, bit the children. He is facing up to six years in prison for abusing her kids.
Rios’s children are being cared for by their grandparents in California.
I hope that Rios uses this incident to turn her life around so she can get her kids back. And I hope that scumbag boyfriend gets the max.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 3 comments
May 4th, 2008
In Foothills, Arizona, Trina Rae Carroll was arrested for child abuse, child endangerment, and involving a minor in drug abuse. Methamphetamine was found in the system of her two-year-old son. The charges are considered felonies and Carrol has two priors.
She’s currently in jail with her bond set at $11,105
Carroll took the toddler to hospital when he began crying uncontrollably and complaining of stomach pain. That’s when hospital staff found methamphetamine in the child’s system. The hospital contacted police, who referred the case to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office investigated and arrested Carroll.
Carroll admitted to using methamphetamines and opiates in front of her child. The boy has received medical attention and is in the temporary custody of his grandmother.
My gut feeling is that Caroll is probably a decent mother with a very serious drug problem. After all, she did go to the hospital when her son got sick. I just hope that her arrest will help her seek treatment so she can get her son back.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 12 comments
May 3rd, 2008
Parents Behaving Bady originally posted about the Griffins last December. Five months later, an autopsy has been done, the parents are still in jail, and their kids are in foster care.
However, John’s defense attorneys have asked to lower his bail. And now investigators believe that they abused another one of their children. Here’s the update:
In Rodgers Forge, Maryland, John J. Griffin, 39, and Susan J. Griffin, 38, are charged in the starvation death of their two-year-old son, Andrew Patrick Griffin. Prosecutors have said that the abuse inflicted by the parents was the same thing as torture.
The Griffins have five children together - ages 10, 9, 4, 1, and a newborn boy. Police believe their four-year-old son, Thomas, was also abused.
Andrew was beaten and starved to death. He weighed about 13 pounds, the weight of a typical three-month-old, when he died last December. When the Baltimore County circuit judge saw the autopsy photos of Andrew, he described them as horrifying and extremely upsetting.
All five children are in foster care with the oldest two living with their grandmother. Susan Griffin remains at the county jail on $1 million bail while John Griffin’s bail has been reduced to $100,000.
With the judge’s emotional reaction to the autopsy photos, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when these monsters finally go to trail in June. Stay tuned.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 3 comments
April 27th, 2008
In Chalmette, Louisiana, Brittany Annis, 22, was charged with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile - a felony - after her five-month-old daughter was found to have benzodiazepine in her system. It is believed that she passed the drugs to her daughter by nursing.
Benzodiazepines are sedatives. Valium is one type and it’s considered a controlled substance.
Annis was initially arrested after a domestic disturbance with the baby’s father. Luckily, police noticed that the baby seemed to be crying abnormally. Annis admitted that her daughter was born with a drug addiction.
Adam Geraci, 43, the baby’s father, told police that his girlfriend was taking his prescription meds without his permission. Suuuuuuure.
The baby is in the custody of a relative. Mom is in jail in lieu of $10,000 bond for second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and $2,500 bond for domestic abuse. Dad has been booked with domestic abuse, and was later turned over to authorities in Plaquemines Parish, where he has an outstanding arrest warrant.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 3 comments
April 26th, 2008
In Grand Junction, Colorado, John Wilson, 40, and Kristie Moore, 35, were charged with felony child abuse for handcuffing Wilson’s 15-year-old son to a rail in the living room. They also whipped the teenager with a belt and denying him food and bathroom breaks. Moore is Wilson’s live-in girlfriend and police consider her the boy’s stepmother.
The couple were arrested on charges of felony child abuse, complicity, sexual abuse of a child by a person in a position of trust and false imprisonment. All of these charges are felonies and they are both being held without bond.
They would also beat the boy with a black belt the couple kept in the kitchen. Above the belt on a hook the couple kept the keys to the handcuffs. On time, Wilson kicked his handcuffed son in his groin. He would also make the teen do jumping jacks and stair stepping for hours to burn off his energy and anger.
Moore’s 16-year-old daughter was also abused. She told police she had been struck with the same black belt. She was grounded for a year and forced to sit at the kitchen table from the time she returned from school until she went to bed at night for stealing food. Also, she was not allowed outside or to have contact with friends.
Records show that family members reported the couple to the Denver Department of Human Services. Since the family moved nothing was done. The teens were removed from the house in July 2006. But records don’t show what happened after that.
In fact, there’s a huge gap and a delay in follow up and arrest. Two more kids who have fallen through the cracks. How sad.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 16 comments
April 22nd, 2008
Mom sat by while her 2-year-old daughter was beaten with a video game controller.
Being the awesome parent that she is, she decided it was finally time to intervene once her child had lost consciousness.
Unfortunately she was unable to be revived and is now dead.
The boyfriend is being charged with homicide and the mother is also being charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
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By joelnet -- 13 comments
April 20th, 2008
In Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Richard F. Bartlett, 20, admitted to “manhandling” his seven-week-old son, David.
Bartlett showed police how he threw the baby on to the changing table when his son woke him up in the middle of the night. The baby was crying at the top of his lungs, which irritated him. So Bartlett, a real genius, grabbed the baby and squeezed him to get him to stop crying.
Of course the baby didn’t, so Bartlett started squeezing him harder. The he took tossed David down on the changing table, and in the process smacked the baby’s head.
The abuse continued. As he was changing David’s diaper, he pushed the baby’s legs back until they popped. The baby’s femur, rib and collarbone were broken.
Bartlett has pleaded not guilty to a felony count of child abuse and a felony charge of aggravated assault - charges that each carry a sentence of 10 to 24 years in prison. Also, he’s only being held on $5,000 bond, which seems damn low. The public defender said he wasn’t a threat to children, just someone who ill prepared to be a dad.
Oh, please. Everyone knows to be gentle with babies - we’ll everyone but this asshole.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 12 comments
April 19th, 2008
In Warren, Michigan, Crystal Conklin, 27, is under trial for killing her two-year-old son, Sean Sowards. The dcoctor who testified against her equates the boy’s injuries to torture. The doctor said he was abused his whole life. Sean had three dozen bruises, abrasions and cuts all over his body. He was also blind from being shaken or hit on his head. Also, his big-toe toenails were torn off, his eyelids were red and swollen, and he was undernorished.
Little Sean was was found unresponsive and lying in a pool of vomit. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics, and underwent brain surgery to relieve pressure from swelling. The toddler died two days later from blunt force trauma to the head.
Conklin’s four-year-old daughter, Angel, showed no signs of abuse or lack of nourishment. Only Sean was abused.
Of course Conklin and Sean’s Dad, Michael Sowards, denied abusing the boy. Both said that Sean was clumsy and his sister was physically agressive toward him. Herd also said she had seen scratches on Sean’s face and bruises on his forehead and was told by Conklin or her son that the injuries were inflicted by Sean’s sister.
Sean’s grandmother had reported abuse when he was only four months old, but she was told to mind her own business. Maybe if authorities had paid attention to her, Sean would be alive today.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 16 comments
April 13th, 2008
In Walahalla, South Carolina, Michael Daniels Jr., 19, was charged with three counts of inflicting great bodily injury on a child. His two-month-old son is recovering from 27 fractures and numerous bruises. Some of the fractures were healing, which may indicate that the abuse had been going on a long time.
You have to wonder if “a long time” to such a young infant means all his life.
Daniels faces up to 20 years in prison.
The mother, Natasha Perez, who is also 19, has not been charged, only interviewed. Since a doctor noticed the child’s injuries during a routine appointment, my guess is that she had no idea her boyfriend was abusing their baby.
But how could you not notice that the baby was in pain, had bruised eyes, and marks on his rear end? The infant also has skin ripped away in the gum area between the jaw and lips, which means that someone was violently forcing a bottle in his mouth. Needless to say, the mom has lawyered up.
Daniels is being held on a $25,000 bond and is currently jailed. The baby has been released from the hospital and is in the protective custody of social services.
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By Anne-Marie Nichols -- 8 comments
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