Tag: child abuse
Mom charged with killing baby after admitting she hit him over dirty diaper
A Georgia woman has been charged with killing her 1-year-old child, telling investigators she hit the boy because she was angry that he’d soiled his diaper, according to local reports.
Trinity Pittman of Palmetto, faces murder and child cruelty charges in the death of her 20-month-old son, Conner Perry.
Pittman, 23, took her son to the emergency room on Friday night, telling medical staff he had been injured after falling off a trampoline. The staff became suspicious and reported that the injuries were not consistent with a fall; his abdomen was full of blood and his lungs were filling up with fluids, 11 Alive reported.
Police reportedly said they interviewed Pittman and her boyfriend, Jeremy Davis, 24, and their accounts of what had happened did not align.
Pittman later admitted that she had lied about Perry falling off a trampoline and confessed that she was angry at her son because he had soiled his diaper, the television station reported, citing warrants.
She reportedly admitted to police that she had hit her son several times after he did not obey her demands and at one point, Perry fell on the floor and hit his head after she hit him.
Pittman went to work hours after the episode and left her son and her 4-year-old daughter in her boyfriend’s care, the news outlet reported, saying she also told him Perry had fallen off the trampoline earlier.
Davis later called Pittman and told her that Perry was having trouble breathing and was throwing up, the station reported, adding that Pittman then came home and took Perry to an Atlanta children’s hospital. He died at the hospital.
Pittman has been jailed without bail. It’s unclear if she has a lawyer.
Pittman’s daughter was placed with relatives.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Ohio man raped now-pregnant 11-year-old girl
An Ohio man is accused of having sex with an 11-year-old girl — who is now pregnant, according to local reports.
Juan Leon-Gomez, 26, was arrested early Wednesday when the child was discovered hidden at his Massillon home, about 60 miles south of Cleveland, the Canton Repository reported.
The suspect’s roommate allowed police to search their home after the girl’s mother filed a missing person report, police said. When cops entered the residence, the 11-year-old was found in an upstairs bedroom closet.
Leon-Gomez was already the subject of an ongoing sexual assault investigation involving the girl, according to the Repository.
He was charged with rape, obstructing official business and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/02/ohio-man-raped-now-pregnant-11-year-old-girl-authorities/
Photo Credit: Stark County Jail
Florida teacher allegedly used 1-year-old son to make child porn
A Florida elementary school teacher has been arrested for allegedly using her own 1-year-old son in sexually explicit videos shared with her ex-boyfriend — who is himself accused of molesting his own daughter, according to reports.
US Marshals arrested Audra Mabel, 34, Thursday for distributing child pornography to her ex Justin Ritchie, 36.
Police arrested Ritchie on March 8 after his 4-year-old daughter reported he had inappropriately touched her “vulva” several times — including with an electric toothbrush — and performed oral sex on her, Newsweek reported.
On his phone, investigators found 10 sexually explicit videos, including ones allegedly depicting Mabel and her 1-year-old son. One clip focused on the child’s genitals, and another included Mabel masturbating while breastfeeding, the outlet reported.
Another reportedly depicts Mabel shoving a camera up her skirt only to later turn the camera around and reveal a classroom full of children.
Investigators say Mabel shot the illicit videos while working as a first-grade teacher in Lansing, Michigan, but sent them to Ritchie in Florida.
She admitted to producing the videos, according to Newsweek.
“Mabel and [Ritchie] also read stories to each other about sex between children and adults,” a criminal complaint states.
She later moved to Florida, but the pair broke up last year after Ritchie refused to leave his wife.
She was hit with federal charges of creating child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, while state officials are charging Ritchie with sexual assault of a child, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Mom forced healthy 5-year-old to use feeding tube, wheelchair
A healthy 5-year-old boy was allegedly forced to use a wheelchair and feeding tube as his mom collected his disability checks, according to officials.
Teresa Lynne Roth, of Georgia, is accused of faking her son’s illnesses over the course of two years and putting him on 28 unnecessary medications, news station WSBTV reported.
Deputies arrested the mom at her Gainesville home Thursday following a four-month investigation.
“Between January 2016 and October 2018, Mrs. Roth did cause her son unnecessary physical and mental pain by subjecting him to undergo unnecessary medical treatments and medications, jeopardizing his well-being,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Scott Ware told WSBTV.
The child was allegedly strapped to an oxygen tank, used a feeding tube and confined to a wheelchair, officials said.
“It’s messed up, you know? It’s not normal,” Ware told the news station.
Roth faces first-degree charges for child cruelty. She remains in custody on $16,700 bond, according to court records.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/25/mom-forced-healthy-5-year-old-to-use-feeding-tube-wheelchair-cops/
Couple charged after boy tortured with hot pepper on genitals
A South Carolina mom and her boyfriend face charges after her kids were allegedly tortured with hot sauce and spices, according to officials.
Sabrina Irene Emerick, 25, and her boyfriend Robert Earl Kailiala Saladaga, 37, were both charged with cruelty to children, the Greenville Police Department said Wednesday.
Saladaga — who lives with Emerick — was also charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
The two children, ages 5 and 7, were interviewed by child services and detailed abuse at the hands of Saladaga, according to the Greenville News.
Police said Emerick was aware of the “horrific” abuse and allowed her children to continue to be at risk.
The children claimed Saladaga went to lengths to punish them. He allegedly forced the 5-year-old boy to take extremely cold and hot showers — and suffocated him with pillows on multiple occasions.
Saladaga is also accused of rubbing a hot pepper on one of the children’s genitals as punishment for wetting the couch in their sleep.
The 7-year-old claimed Saladaga put a pepper in his eyes and mouth to torture him. In another incident, Saladaga allegedly put hot sauce all over the 5-year-old kid’s face, eyes and mouth. Both instances allegedly forced the kids to vomit.
“Heinous crimes against children are some of the most difficult cases we investigate,” Greenville Police Lt. Jason Rampey said in a news release. “The horrific stories of abuse endured by these children are sickening and reprehensible. As such, the children have been removed from this abusive environment.”
The children were removed from the home and are living with a family member, the Greenville News reported.
Saladaga and Emerick were released Feb. 15 from jail on bond.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/20/couple-charged-after-boy-tortured-with-hot-pepper-on-genitals-cops/
Photo Credit: Robert Earl Kailiala Saladaga and Sabrina Irene Emerick Greenville Police Department
Ex-Yankee John Wetteland sexually abused boy between ages 4 and 6: officials
Yankee great John Wetteland, who was MVP of the 1996 World Series as the team’s closer, was arrested this week on charges he sexually abused a male relative, officials said.
The 52-year-old abused the boy from October 2004 to October 2006 — when he was between the ages of 4 and 6, according to his arrest affidavit.
He posted $25,000 bond and was released Monday just hours after being taken into custody.
Wetteland — who also played for the Rangers from 1997 to 2000 after a two-year stint with the Yanks — was living in Texas at the time of the alleged abuse.
The victim claims to have been assaulted by Wetteland when he would return home from work trips.
“[The victim] stated that his [attacker] was gone most of the year for work responsibilities and would return for about a month at a time,” the affidavit states.
Wetteland is accused of forcing the boy to perform a sex act on him “on three separate occasions between the years of 2004-2006. Each of these three acts occurred while they were in the master bathroom shower located at [his] residence.”
Wetteland, a born-again Christian, was living in Bartonville at the time and serving on the board of directors for the Calvary Chapel church in Katy.
“He volunteered to do it,” church leader Mark Martinez told The Post.
Over the years, Wetteland has worked at Liberty Christian School in Texas as the school’s baseball coach and also taught Bible studies. He divorced from his wife, Michele, in 2015 and the pair had four children together.
Wetteland had made a name for himself in the mid-1990s as a dominant closer, who saved a record four games during the Yankees’ World Series win against the Braves in 1996.
It was the team’s first title in 18 years, and his performance earned Wetteland World Series MVP honors.
The iconic image of that championship was Wetteland in the arms of catcher Joe Girardi with a fist raised in the air as the Yankee Stadium crowd exploded with joy.
Wetteland went on to play for the Rangers the following year.
His setup man, rookie Mariano Rivera, moved into the Yankees closer’s role after Wetteland’s departure and went on to a Hall of Fame career.
Wetteland recorded 330 saves over the course of his 12-season career, which also included stints with the Dodgers and Expos.
The California native struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his youth but was still able to land in the minors in 1986. According to Yankees analyst and journalist Jack Curry, he almost died twice — when he was just 17.
“Once he nearly overdosed on a combination of drugs, including LSD, at a Grateful Dead concert,” wrote Curry in a 1995 profile on Wetteland for the New York Times. “Another time, Wetteland was in the front seat when a drunken friend rammed his car into a telephone pole. Something happened. He trudged on. He kept playing baseball and guitar. He kept walking crooked.”
According to his then wife, Michele, “it was difficult for him to forgive his parents for some things he had to go through as a kid.”
“He wishes they would have protected him from some of the things he experienced,” Michele explained in the 1995 article.
“He was really wild and really out there at one time and it was so opposed to my beliefs as a Christian,” she said, noting how “it really is two different persons with John.”
“God’s word says the old man is cast off. John’s old man has been cast off. If you asked me if I sit here in awe of John and how obedient he has been to God’s word, I’d tell you that I do.”
Michele could not be reached for comment Tuesday and declined to speak to the Dallas Morning News.
Neither Wetteland nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
His arrest on Tuesday is the worst turn for the former Yankees star, who has faced troubles since retiring after the 2000 season.
After entering the coaching ranks in 2006 — a year after being inducted into the Texas Rangers’ Hall of Fame — he failed to make it through one season with the Nationals as bullpen coach.
Wetteland reportedly irked team management by encouraging pranks, like setting off firecrackers during spring training. He also allegedly tried to disassemble a video camera.
Nationals manager Frank Robinson eventually said enough is enough and fired Wetteland in June 2006.
“They seem to focus a little bit more on practical jokes and fooling around out there in the bullpen rather than focusing and concentrating on the game, and keeping their minds focused to what they would have to do when they came into the ballgame to get people out,” Robinson told the Washington Post at the time.
“I just couldn’t put up with it anymore. I talked to John on a number of occasions and told him flat-out what I needed and how I wanted things done. He just didn’t seem to understand.”
More seriously, there were once worries about Wetteland’s mental health.
In November 2009, he was hospitalized in Texas in what police believed to be a suicidal situation.
A woman at Wetteland’s home had called the cops about a possibly suicidal person believed to be Wetteland.
The CBS affiliate in Texas reported that when officers arrived at the home, Wetteland emerged, saying he “needed help.”
Later, Wetteland and the Mariners — for whom he was then a bullpen coach — said he had an elevated heart rate.
He claimed in a statement that “the circumstances leading to my elevated blood pressure and heart rate” had been addressed.
Additional reporting by Zach Braziller
Photo Credit: Denton County Jail via AP
Spiritual ‘healer’ featured on Oprah accused of sexual abuse
RIO DE JANEIRO — Ten women in Brazil have accused a self-styled spiritual healer of sexually abusing them at a clinic in the central-western state of Goias.
The accusations against Joao Teixeira de Faria, known as John of God, were made Saturday night on the Globo TV network.
It was not immediately clear if Farias was being investigated by prosecutors.
In a statement to the G1 news portal, Faria’s press office said: “John of God vehemently denies having committed any inappropriate behavior during his treatments.”
Faria’s faith-based healing skills drew the attention of TV host Oprah Winfrey, who said on her website that she interviewed him at his clinic in 2013 and saw him performing psychic surgeries.
Faria’s website says he has treated former President Bill Clinton and Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio da Silva.
Article via NYPost
Day care worker body-slammed toddler
SMRYNA, Ga. — Police in Georgia say a day care worker has body-slammed a toddler, bloodying the 16-month-old’s lip and shirt.
News outlets report 20-year-old Jonee Nicole Hamilton was arrested Tuesday on charges including child cruelty and aggravated assault. Smryna police says the Oxford Babies worker was upset last week when the child refused to nap and so shoved the toddler’s head into a floor mat.
A police report says Hamilton then picked the child up and slammed them into the mat, busting the child’s lip. Officer Heather Knight says the child was treated at a hospital.
Hamilton passed a background check when she was hired in September. She has since been fired.
Knight says police are reviewing the day care’s surveillance videos.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/06/daycare-worker-body-slammed-toddler-police/
Mom goes after ‘fight club’ day care
A Missouri mom claims her 4-year-old son was a victim of a “fight club” held at a St. Louis day care center — and that little has been done over the past two years to hold the teachers accountable.
Nicole Merseal shared shocking footage of brawls that she said involved her young son and claimed that teachers Mickala Guliford and Tena Dailey egged on the fights at Adventure Learning Center. She sued the facility in December 2016.
Guliford admitted to allowing the fighting, but said she merely meant it to be a “stress release exercise.”
Merseal said her 10-year-old son, who was with his older classmates in another room, filmed the incident through a window on his iPad after he saw his brother crying. He then texted his mother the video. Teachers were accused of forcing the younger boy to participate in three fights, Q13 Fox reported.
The newly released footage shows a teacher giving each child “hulk hands” before watching them wrestle one another to the floor. Merseal’s younger son wipes his tears away on the sidelines.
“My son was very afraid,” Merseal told ABC News.
“He didn’t understand why his best friends beat him up. These are children that he’s been around for a couple years. He described them as his best friends. He just doesn’t understand why they punched him in the face … I don’t know any parent that could watch their children go through this and not be upset.”
The fight occurred two years ago, but Merseal doesn’t think the teachers were held accountable enough for their actions. The teachers were fired but neither of them faced charges.
“I want them to be held accountable and I don’t want this to happen to any other child,” Merseal said.
Merseal also is seeking $25,000 in damages from the pre-school.
Inspectors visited the pre-school eight times since the incident and accounted for 26 violations.
One of those occurred in March 2018, when an inspector noticed a caregiver drag a 3-year-old by the arm. The pre-school director reportedly was in the room and did not respond.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/10/31/mom-goes-after-fight-club-day-care/
Day care owner accused of keeping babies tied to car seats
MESQUITE, Texas — The owner of a Dallas-area in-home day care center has been jailed on child endangerment charges after she was accused of keeping infants and toddlers tied to their car seats for hours.
An arrest warrant affidavit alleges that Rebecca Anderson kept the small children tied up in car seats for at least seven hours a day at her Mesquite, Texas, day care center, Becky’s Home Child Care. The affidavit also says the 60-year-old woman yanked a 6-month-old child by the bib around his neck, tying laces around the young children’s necks to limit their movement and giving them acetaminophen to quiet them.
She was booked Sunday night into the Dallas County jail on nine counts of child endangerment with bonds totaling $45,000. Jail records list no attorney for her.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/09/18/day-care-owner-accused-of-keeping-babies-tied-to-car-seats/