Tag Archives: Domestic Violence

AMBER ALERT!!!!, Child Abuse, Child Innocence, Domestic Violence, Law Enforcement, Psychological Abuse

Family Tells Different Story After Child And Mom Found Safe

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.jpg photo of Mother and her Child in Amber Alert
Family says Mother has been victim of Domestic Abuse and Psychological Abuse.

Mother arrested after taking baby that sparked Amber Alert, family speaks out

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  –  A three-month-old baby is safe and mother in custody after an alleged kidnapping that sparked an Amber Alert.

It started around 2:30 Thursday morning at an apartment complex near South Santa Fe and Southeast 44th.

Amber Alert canceled; 3-month-old Oklahoma girl found safe

Police say the mother, 20-year-old Midaysia Highwalker, took the baby, Leyla Rivera, after an altercation with the baby’s father.

People nearby say they often hear arguing.

“We hear them argue all the time, mainly just over dumb, stupid stuff,” neighbor Matthew Seal said.

“I have from time to time heard a little bit of screaming and yelling,” Jamie Jack, family member of a neighbor, said.

Police say the situation then escalated.

“The female, mother of the child, took the baby, indicated that she might harm herself and the baby,” MSgt. Gary Knight with Oklahoma City Police said.

According to the arrest warrant for Highwalker, the baby’s father called his mother saying he needed help removing the baby from the apartment.  He said Highwalker had people over at the residence, and Midaysia was smoking marijuana around the child.  The warrant goes on to say, “Midaysia forcefully took the child from [the father], grabbing the small infant by her head.  Midaysia proceeded to strike [the father’s] head repeatedly and threw various items at him.  Midaysia grabbed a black carjack from the front of the residence and forcefully struck [the father] in the back of his head, causing injury.”

The warrant says Midaysia said she was going to kill the baby’s father and his mother and left the residence with the baby.

That sparked an Amber Alert Thursday morning.

However, Highwalker’s sister, who did not want her name disclosed, says that’s unlike her.
“She might’ve said something to get him away from her, but she wouldn’t make threats and she wouldn’t go through with her threats,” she said.

Police searched for Highwalker and the baby.  Both were found safe at a friend’s home in Midwest City.

“The mother’s in custody, we’ll interview her and see what came of the domestic,” Knight said.

According to Highwalker’s sister and cousin, there’s more to the story.

“Her boyfriend, he’s been putting his hands on her a long time now, and I feel like she did it just to get away from him, and his mom threatens her, tries to fight her, and they used the baby against her and so she just ran to get away,” her sister said.

“My cousin is a really good mom, and she don’t deserve to be locked up.  Her baby daddy has been abusive their whole relationship,” Precious Hopgood, Highwalker’s cousin said.

Highwalker has been booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of domestic assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, child neglect, domestic abuse in the presence of a minor, threatening to perform an act of violence, embezzlement and destroying property.

Better Laws, Child Abuse, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Physical Abuse, StopChildAbuse

WI Man Charged With Felony Child Abuse

.jpg photo of Justice for child abuse graphic
Justice for Child Abuse

Green Bay man charged with Child Abuse, strangulation and suffocation

GREEN BAY, WI  –  A Green Bay man has been formally charged in Brown County court for allegedly abusing his daughter.

According to court documents, Brave Cannon, 39, was charged Thursday with one count of child abuse – high probability/great harm, with another charge of strangulation and suffocation, as well as disorderly conduct.

The disorderly conduct charge is classified as a misdemeanor, while the other two are classified as felonies.

Documents state the incident happened just before 12 p.m. on July 15 on Elmore Street.

The victim told police on July 17 that she had had some friends that went over to her father’s home on the 15 to have pizza and hang out, and that her father hadn’t been home when they got there.

However, she then went to take a shower, and when she got out, her father was yelling that she had too many friends over, and told police she could smell alcohol on his breath, and knew he was drunk.

She told police Brave became angrier, and yelled more, after which she told everyone to leave and started packing up her things.

When she went back to the bathroom for her shoes, Brave allegedly pushed her very hard, and then grabbed her around her neck and squeezed.

She then said that it had hurt, she couldn’t talk and it was difficult to breathe.

Eventually, the victim was able to get out of that, but then said Brave put her in a headlock for around 30 seconds, and he threw her head against the wall.

The victim’s cousin then entered the house after hearing a commotion, and told Brave to let his daughter go or they would call the police, which he complied to.

Court records haven’t updated to show when Brave’s next court date is.

Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Law Enforcement, Neglect, Physical Abuse

TN Man Indicted For CA, Neglect, Domestic Violence, and Child Sex Abuse

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.jpg photo of Foster Parent indicted for child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and child sexual battery
John Stanley Reece, 55, was indicted in Jackson County Criminal Court, TN

Foster parent indicted for Child Abuse

The father of a Jackson County family known for fostering children has been indicted for a host of child abuse charges.

John Stanley Reece, 55, was indicted in the Jackson County Criminal Court earlier this month for child abuse and neglect, aggravated domestic assault by strangulation and sexual battery by an authority figure.

The victim was a child in his care, according to the indictment.

Reece was arrested Nov. 4 with $25,000 bond, which he posted and has since been released.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will not confirm or deny if the children are still in the Reece’s care.

“Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, we’re limited as to the information we can provide at this stage,” said TBI Public Information Officer Susan Niland.

The TBI began investigating Reece in September.

“During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that indicated the victim was a child in Reece’s care,” the TBI release states.

According to an article published in the Herald-Citizen in June, the Reece family has 11 children in their care — some are foster children while others were adopted by the family.

Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Cruelty, Indifference, Physical Abuse, Violence

Son: Mom Why Us?

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.jpg photo of mother who allowed step-father to abuse her children
Rebecca Ann Bell

Son of woman charged in Wake Forest
Child Abuse case: ‘We never had a
stable home’

WAKE FOREST, NC  –  Two Wake Forest parents were charged with child abuse causing serious physical injury, arrest records show.

.jpg photo of step-father that abused children
Michael Daniel Bell

Records state Michael Daniel Bell and Rebecca Ann Bell, of Washhouse Lane in Wake Forest, failed to enroll at least one child in school, abused at least one child and exposed a child to domestic violence and let at least one child live in a condemned home for a week.

The home that was condemned had no electricity and no running water and had holes in the ceilings, exposed nails in the floor and mold and raw meat throughout the house, according to warrants.

According to the couple’s Facebook page, they have nine children.

.jpg photo of woman's oldest son that told authorities of abuse by step-father
Matthew Shirely, 21, and his Family.

Rebecca Bell’s oldest son, 21-year-old Matthew Shirely, lives in Nevada and said that Michael Bell abused him and his siblings for years.

“You know, just getting like smacked around to like actual fistfights between me and my stepdad,” he said.

Shirely said his family lived in Nevada prior to living in North Carolina, where Rebecca Bell moved to get back together with Michael.

“Growing up, none of my siblings, me included, we never had a stable home.  We bounced around.  Off the top of my head, I could probably give you around anywhere from 16 to 20 addresses we’ve lived at,” Shirely said.

Shirely said he feels helpless being across the country while 10 of his siblings are split up in foster care.

“You know, they’ve gone through it in the past.  They went through it when I was there.  I went through it when I was with them, and it hurts knowing my siblings, like I’m not there to do anything about it,” he said.

A father himself, Shirely said he doesn’t understand how his mother could watch her children suffer.

“She’s seen the fights, she’s seen abuse, she’s seen the way Mike treats the kids, and it just amazes me someone could watch their kids go through that and not want something better,” he said.

Michael Bell was charged in February with sexual exploitation of a minor

Records stated he possessed three photos of child pornography: an infant girl, a girl about 6 years old and a girl about 7 to 10 years old.

Michael Bell and Rebecca Bell were also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Neglect

Domestic Violence Call Leads Officers To “Absolutely Disgusting Child Abuse Case”

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Children found locked in dog cage, living
in deplorable conditions, Wise County
deputies say

RHOME, TX  –  A father and mother of four children are facing charges after deputies discovered a horrific scene of child abuse and neglect at a home Tuesday morning.

.jpg photo of mother of children found to be abused and neglected.
Paige Isabow Harkings, 24

According to Wise County deputies, they received a call at about 7:20 a.m. on a report of domestic violence at a house off County Road 4930 near Newark, about 30 miles north of Fort Worth.

Andrew Fabila and Paige Harkings face four charges of child endangerment, authorities said.

.jpg photo of father of one of the children found to be abused and neglected.
Andrew Joseph Fabila, 24

When deputies arrived at the home, they found cuts to the Fabila’s face and heard children inside a barn, according to Sheriff Lane Akin, with the Wise County Sheriff’s Department.

Four children were found inside the barn:  a 4-year-old girl and three boys, ages 5, 3 and 1, Akin said.

The oldest two children were locked in a dog kennel measuring about 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, he said.  The other two were found mostly unclothed on the floor of the barn, covered in urine and feces, Akin said.

Akin said it was the worst child-abuse case he’d seen during his 44 years in law enforcement.

“I’ve not worked one where children are locked inside a dog kennel, and I find that absolutely disgusting,” he said.

Inside the barn, the space was “crudely fashioned” into rooms to create some sort of living quarters, Akin said.

“There was plenty of food inside the barn, but the refrigerator and the cabinets had been locked so the kids could not get in to get food,” the sheriff said.

The children were hungry and thirsty when deputies found them, so authorities gave them food and water before they were taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth.  Akin said he saw no obvious injuries to the children before they were hospitalized.

The children were released from the hospital Tuesday evening and will be placed in foster care, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said.

Deputies noticed feces scattered throughout the house.

Fabila was sent to the hospital with cuts.  Harkins also faces a family violence charge.

The couple had been staying with the paternal grandparents’ house.  Texas Child Protective Services confirmed that they had previous contact with the family, but would not elaborate.

Multiple agencies are investigating.