Tag Archives: Child Abuse

Brain Dead, Broken Back, Child Abuse, Head Injuries, Murder, Rib Injuries

BABYSITTER CHARGED WITH MURDER, CHILD ABUSE AFTER DEATH OF 5-YEAR OLD GIRL

A Wyoming babysitter has been accused of beating and killing a 5-year-old girl.

 

.jpg photo of Child abused and murdered
Babysitter charged with murder, child abuse after death of 5-year-old girl

Police said 51-year-old Cheri Marler faces charges of first degree murder and child abuse. She has been held in a Wyoming jail without bond.

“In terms of child abuse, this was for me, personally – this was one of the hardest ones I’ve ever worked in,” said Chief Mike Kahre with the Kemmerer Police Department.

He said officers responded to a 911 call around 3:40 p.m. on Friday, November 25. They said Marler told dispatch that the girl, Annabelle, fell down the stairs and was not breathing.

“She pretty much stuck to the baby had fallen down the stairs, but that just wasn’t consistent with some of the things in the home, and the appearance of Annabelle,” Chief Kahre said.

Info in the affidavit gave details of what responding officers saw.

“The color of the child was somewhat dark and pale,” one officer reported. “The left side of the child’s face was completely bruised and appeared to have old bruising under new bruising.”

Crews eventually transported the young girl be medical helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she died Saturday morning.

Annabelle’s mom, Kayla Kartchner, spoke to 2News about what she saw at the hospital.

“I knew I wasn’t going to have my little girl back,” she said. “She wasn’t going to make it. They tried everything they could. She was already brain dead by the time she got to the hospital.”

According to the affidavit, doctors found several injuries, “which included multiple rib injuries, a punctured lung, several head injuries (old and new), a broken back, many lacerations, scrapes and countless bruises on the entire body of the child.”

Police said Marler had been watching Annabelle and her sister for several months. The mom may have been escaping a domestic abuse situation, according to the affidavit. Police said Marler eventually admitted to slapping and hitting the child.

“I asked her to demonstrate how she did it, and she did take her hands in a clapping motion and slapped them together,” said Chief Kahre. “She said it was anywhere between 5 and 10 times, and said it could have been more times.”

Annabelle’s mom, Kayla, said she was heartbroken. She said Annabelle loved unicorns and the color, pink. She wanted to be a firefighter when she grew up.
“She was very sweet, even when she was sick. She was still trying to be happy and playful. She had a little sister who was just 4-years-old, and her little sister is just so confused on everything,” Kartchner said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

According to the page, “Her mama was at work when she got this devastating call. We are raising the money for Belle’s funeral services! Please anything helps.”

Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Grooming, Incest, Rape, Sexual Assault

SD SENATE CANDIDATE JOEL KOSKAN ACCUSED OF GROOMING, RAPING CHILD FAMILY MEMBER

Koskan, 44, could also face counts of rape, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16 and aggravated incest-related child

.jpg photo of man wanted for incest and child sexual abuse
SD SENATE CANDIDATE ACCUSED OF GROOMING, RAPING CHILD FAMILY MEMBER

A Republican running for South Dakota state Senate was charged with felony child abuse Thursday for allegedly grooming and raping a young family member for years, according to local reports.

Joel Koskan, a third-time candidate for the state Senate, allegedly groomed and abused the young girl for at least six years starting in 2014, court documents obtained by the Mitchell Republic revealed.

Koskan, 44, could also face counts of rape, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16 and aggravated incest-related child, according to a probable cause statement the outlet cited.

The Senate hopeful began grooming the child when she was 12 years old by having her sit on his lap, kissing her and giving long hugs, according to the court docs.

The child thought the behavior was “‘normal things’ that families were supposed to do,” an investigator wrote in the document.

She realized what Koskan was doing to her was abusive at a summer camp she attended at age 14 when counselors spoke about inappropriate physical contact with adults, according to the publication.

Koskan allegedly installed a camera in her bedroom after her return from camp that he would use to constantly watch her from an app on his phone.  He also required her to straddle him without underwear, the court documents allege.

The victim said he regularly touched her inappropriately and eventually allegedly began forcing sexual intercourse after she turned 17 years old on multiple occasions in the family’s homes across the state.

Koskan controlled the child as well with location tracking, required nightly phone calls, authority over her social media accounts and jurisdiction over what she wore, the documents say.

Koskan used GPS tracking via her phone and vehicle and learned through her location that she had gone to the sheriff’s office to speak about the reported abuse, according to the documents.

“You promised you’d never do this,” Koskan texted her on May 6. “I’m begging you, you don’t want to do this.”

Other text message exchanges between the victim and the Republican appeared to confirm her story, investigators said.

Koskan was taken into custody Thursday and has an initial hearing scheduled for Nov. 7.

Since news of the alleged abuse got out, Koskan has deleted his Twitter account and made his campaign website private.

The South Dakota Democratic Party has since called for him to immediately end his campaign, the Mitchell Republic reported.

“These allegations concerning Joel Koskan are deeply disturbing, and he should immediately end his campaign,” party chairman Randy Seiler said in a statement. “While he will still appear on the ballot, the choice for the voters of District 26 couldn’t be clearer. Partisan politics aside, Joel Koskan should not be voting in the legislature on issues that affect South Dakota kids — or any issues at all.”

State Republicans also denounced any alleged abuse.

“The allegation against Joel Koskan is very serious, and the South Dakota Republican Party unequivocally opposes child abuse in all forms,” South Dakota GOP Chairman Dan Lederman said. “The South Dakota Republican Party trusts the justice system to work through the allegation.”

If convicted, Koskan can be locked behind bars for up to 10 years.

Child Abuse, Child Exploitation, Cruelty, Day Care, Indifference, Law Enforcement

Daycare workers facing charges of felony child abuse after scaring children with masks

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.jpg photo of Day Care workers fired for scaring Children
4 Day Care workers each face three counts of felony child abuse, a 5th worker faces charges of failure to report abuse by a mandatory reporter and simple assault against a minor.

Videos on Facebook show a day care worker wearing a Halloween mask and yelling at children

HAMILTON, MS  –  Four people linked to viral video footage of Mississippi daycare employees using a scary mask to frighten young children are facing charges of felony child abuse, and a fifth person faces two misdemeanor counts.

The daycare’s owner, Sheila Sanders, is not facing charges.  She has said that at least four of the employees were fired after the video came to light.

The videos, one filmed in September and another this month, were posted on social media.  They show a daycare worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, an unincorporated community in northeast Mississippi, wearing a Halloween mask similar to the one in the “Scream” movies and yelling at children who didn’t “clean up” or “act good.”

Children can be seen bawling, cowering in fear, and at times running from the masked employee.  Another employee gives directions, singling out which children have acted good or bad, The Associated Press reported.  The employee in the mask is shown screaming inches away from children’s faces, the video showed.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said in a news release that four of the women each face three counts of felony child abuse.  A fifth woman, he says, faces charges of failure to report abuse by a mandatory reporter and simple assault against a minor — both misdemeanors.

“They can’t use corporal punishment, so we think they were using the mask to try to scare the kids into doing what they were supposed to be doing,” Crook said.

Better Laws, Child Innocence, Child Sexual Abuse, Law Enforcement, Sexual Assault, StopChildAbuse

Mistrial in Child Sexual Assault case against ex-Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland

 

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Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland appeared in a Denton County Court on Monday to respond to charges of three counts of aggravated assault against a child

Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Wetteland appeared in a Denton County Court on Monday to respond to charges

DENTON, TX  –  A Denton County judge on Friday declared a mistrial in the child sexual assault case against John Wetteland, a former Texas Rangers player who is accused of molesting a boy three times more than a decade ago.

The jury told the judge three times that it was split.  At one point, the judge said she heard loud arguing coming from the deliberation room.

Wetteland, who testified in his defense during the trial last week, faced three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.  He played for the Rangers from 1997 to 2000, as well as for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, and is in the Rangers’ Hall of Fame.

At 4:40 p.m., the jury sent its third note to the judge.  It said it was deadlocked and some jurors were “unwilling to budge.”  The jurors asked how long they were expected to deliberate.  Some were concerned about child care.

Judge Lee Ann Breading had pressed the jury to keep trying to reach a verdict.  But after questioning the jury about 5 p.m., she declared a mistrial.

Wetteland, 56, faced 25 years to life in prison if convicted.  It was unclear Friday whether prosecutors would pursue a second trial.  Defense attorneys declined to comment.

Since Tuesday, jurors in 462nd District Court heard from the accuser, Wetteland and other witnesses.

According to authorities, Wetteland sexually assaulted the child three times between 2004 and 2006, starting when the child was 4 years old.  Wetteland pleaded not guilty and said the accuser’s account of sexual abuse is a lie.

According to the accuser’s mother, he first told her in 2016 — when he was 16 — that Wetteland raped him as a child.  She said she did not report the allegation to police.  In his testimony, the accuser said he did not want to report the abuse and wanted an apology from Wetteland, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The accuser testified on Tuesday.  He said he looked up to Wetteland and wanted to please him.  The first time Wetteland sexually abused him, he said, he was confused.  The abuse impacted him deeply into his teenage years, he testified, causing incontinence, suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

When the boy was 18, his mother testified, she told him to write a letter about the abuse and planned to send it to people connected with Wetteland.

On Wednesday, Argyle school district’s former chief of police read the letter to the jury. The letter, which the accuser wrote in Google Docs, detailed allegations that Wetteland sexually assaulted him in a shower.

According to prosecutor Lindsey Sheguit, the document was saved on the Argygle school Google account, and the school district’s monitoring system flagged it.  Employees discovered the letter, the school district’s chief technology officer testified Wednesday, and reported it to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

On cross examination from Derek Adame, one of Wetteland’s defense attorneys, the technology officer testified that the district could not know who wrote the letter, only that it was written on the accuser’s account.  Adame and defense attorney Caroline Simone argue the abuse allegations are not true and were possibly fabricated by a man named Chris.  Chris is not biologically related to the accuser but lived with him when the accuser was a teenager.

Three members of the Wetteland family testified that they also believe Chris instructed the accuser to write the letter, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.  They described Chris as aggressive and jealous of Wetteland.

A grand jury indicted Wetteland, who lives in Trophy Club, in 2019. Bartonville police have said DFPS contacted the department about the case on Jan. 9, 2019.

Child Abuse, Child Innocence, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Special Needs, StopChildAbuse

FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARRESTED FOR ABUSE OF 2 SPECIAL NEEDS BOYS

.jpg photo of family members arrested for abuse of 2 special needs young boys
Family members arrested for abuse of 2 special needs young boys.

Police Arrest 4 In Connection With Abuse Of 2 Boys

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  –  The start of school is around the corner for metro students. Oklahoma City police officials said on Wednesday with the start of school, officers would see an increase of reported child abuse cases.

One case currently under investigation started last December with a metro school counselor and resulted in the arrest of four adults this week.  They were accused of child abuse and not reporting the abuse of two elementary age boys.

A concerned school counselor tipped off police to the alleged abuse.  According to a report, a 6-year-old student returned from Thanksgiving break with injuries to his face and his 10-year-old brother did not return to class following the break.

“Both had some pretty substantial injuries that nobody could seem to explain,” said Msgt. Gary Knight, Oklahoma City Police Department.

Investigators found the family living at the Red Roof Inn near I-40 and south Meridian Avenue.  Court documents indicated the boys’ mother Krista Cox claimed their injuries were self-inflicted during emotional outbursts.  Police learned the brothers were diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities.

“It’s bad enough when you’ve got a child that’s unable to defend themselves,” said Knight. “Then you throw in its special needs child that has certain disabilities that makes it an even more egregious act.”

Police said there were two other adults living in the hotel rooms besides Cox and her boyfriend Christopher Aucoin.

“As the case evolved, it turned out there were two other people involved,” said Knight.  “A parent of the mother of the child and a parent of the boyfriend.”

After combing through multiple Oklahoma Department of Human Services referrals and hospital records for the brothers, investigators determined the injuries were from abuse. They are holding all four adults criminally responsible.

“The children were placed into protective custody,” said Knight.  “That’s important to note.”

DHS was contacted for the story to confirm the children were placed in state custody.  An agency official said they could not comment on the case due to confidentiality laws.