Monthly Archives: November 2016

Child Abuse, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Physical Abuse, StopChildAbuse

Armed AZ Man Holds Child Abuse Investigation At Bay

.jpg photo of suspect in using gun to stop investigation
Delfonta Lewis Richmond

Mesa police prevented access to home
during Child Abuse investigation

MESA, AZ  –  Police investigating a child abuse report were prevented from entering a house by a man with a shotgun.

Court records show that a couple was arrested after one allegedly abused their 8-year-old child and the other refused to allow police to enter their home.

Mesa police report that on November 16, they were called to an elementary school near Longmore Road and Southern Avenue for a reported child abuse.

School staff reported to police that a kindergarten child had bruises “up and down both of his arms” and a “large red contusion on his scalp.”

The child at first said he got his injuries roughhousing with his siblings but later disclosed that his mother had hit him with an object.  He also allegedly told school officials and police that he was “afraid to go home.”

School staff reported that the child was accused of stealing and that his teacher alerted the child’s mother.  School staff said that “in the past, they did not contact the parents if there was a school incident due to the fact they had concerns about the victims’ well-being.”

Police say they contacted 31-year-old Tiffany Hickman, who denied causing the injuries but did say she spanked him on the child’s behind for the incident at school.  She also allegedly told police that “she has to teach her child a lesson… to make sure he knew right from wrong.”

Police say they went to the home the next day to check on the child and were refused entry into the house.  They say 30-year-old Delfonta Lewis Richmond yelled out of the door that he had a shotgun.  After negotiations, Hickman and three children including the victim, came out of the home.  Richmond also exited the home a short time later.  Police say he had a gun in his waistband and was wearing a “tactical vest.”

Police say they found multiple weapons inside the home at the time.

Both Hickman and Richmond have been charged with child abuse.

Child Abuse, Child Innocence, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, StopChildAbuse

FL Man Charged With Child Abuse Of Toddler

.jpg photo of Child Abuse graphic
Well…. answer the question

Man charged with Child Abuse of young girl

Ocala, FL  –  A 25-year-old Ocala man was arrested Friday and charged with child abuse after several bruises were found on the body of a 23-month-old girl.

Some of the bruises were on the victim’s head, abdominal area, leg and behind the child’s ear, officials said.  Doctors told deputies that some of the injuries were caused by someone using their hand, according to sheriff’s officials.

Kyle Andrew Kennedy, who was babysitting the child, told deputies that he and the juvenile, whose name was not released, were playing on the bed.  He alleges when he dragged the toddler to him, they both rolled off the bed.  In another instance, he claimed he hit the child with a pillow, which caused her to fall off the couch and her face to hit the tile floor.

Kennedy said he called the child’s mother, who was at work, and she went home.  The child’s mother told a deputy her daughter did not have those injuries the night before.  The incident occurred at the woman’s residence, authorities said.

The victim was transported to Munroe Regional Medical Center, and is expected to recover from her injuries.

Detective Thomas Newbanks interviewed Kennedy who denied hitting the child.  Kennedy, who’s not the child’s father, was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.

Child Abuse, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Parenting, Physical Abuse, StopChildAbuse

LA Child Abused By Fathers Girl Friend

.jpg photo of woman arrested for Child Abuse
Amber Barbo

Campti woman facing charge in
Child Abuse case

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana  –  The case of a 3-year-old child severely bruised over most of its body led Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s detectives to charge the father’s girlfriend, according to a release.

One detective called the case “very disturbing,” and the sheriff office’s release also called it “one of the worst cases of child abuse detectives have seen,” it reads.

Deputies were called to the 400 block of Stiles Road near Campti in the evening of Nov. 10 about possible child abuse, but found that family members had taken the child to Natchitoches Regional Medical Center.

The release does not state whether the child is a boy or a girl.

Deputies and detectives went to the hospital, finding the mother and a family friend.  While there, they “observed severe bruising to the child’s body, which included the face, abdomen, back, arms and legs after the child was returned to the mother following a child custody exchange with the father,” reads the release.

As the investigation continued, detectives were joined by the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, Project Celebration Inc. of Many and the Rapides Children’s Advocacy Center.  The child later was transported to the Cara Center in Shreveport for further evaluation.

“While detectives continued the investigation, photographs began surfacing on social media from a private individual of the incident which lead to numerous additional calls to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and the public showing concern for the child,” reads the release.

The sheriff’s office isn’t releasing information on those photos, citing the continuing investigation, said Natchitoches Chief Investigator Greg Dunn.

Eventually, detectives got a warrant for the arrest of Amber Barbo, the girlfriend of the child’s father.  Barbo, 24, of the 400 block of Stiles Road, was arrested on Monday and booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.

Barbo was charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles.  She later was released on a $10,000 bond, according to the release.

“One detective assigned to the case with eight years of experience in investigations said this is the worst case of child abuse he has seen, and it was very disturbing,” reads the release.

The investigation is continuing, and “other arrests may be forthcoming,” it reads.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Derrick Sowell at 318-357-7830.

Child Abuse, Child Innocence, Good Parenting, Indifference, Physical Abuse, StopChildAbuse

NC Twin Infants Physically Abused

.jpg photo of mother charged with abuse of twin infants
Hayley Danielle Hoyle

Mother, boyfriend charged with Child Abuse
of twin infants

LINCOLNTON, NC  –  A Lincoln County woman and her boyfriend have been charged after investigators say her twin infants were physically abused.

According to the Lincolnton Police Department, officials were contacted November 9 by the Lincoln County Department of Social Services concerning physical child abuse.

The reported victims were the 9 month old twin sons of Hayley Danielle Hoyle, who investigators say sustained serious physical injuries that required hospitalization.

Hoyle was charged with two misdemeanor counts of allowing child abuse resulting in physical injury.  She was arrested on Friday and received a $30,000 secured bond.  She later bonded out.

Hoyle’s boyfriend, Keith Lee Clontz, was charged with two felony counts of intentional child abuse resulting in physical injury.
He was also arrested Friday and is currently being held on a $150,000 secured bond.

Clontz has prior convictions for felony manufacturing marijuana with aggravating factors, assault on a female, larceny, trespassing, driving while impaired, and other traffic related offenses.

If anyone has any information about this case or any other case please call the Lincolnton Police Department at (704) 736-8900 or call the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Crimestoppers at (704) 736-8909.

Child Abuse, Good Parenting, Indifference, Law Enforcement, Physical Abuse, StopChildAbuse

TX Couple Arrested For Child Abuse

Pair charged with multiple counts of
Child Abuse

Wichita Falls, TX  –  A man and woman are charged with injury to a child after the man allegedly used a wooden paddle with zip ties and tape around it on the children.

Michael George Corey, who has been in Wichita County Jail since Sept. 29 on one count of injury to a child, had two additional counts of the same charge filed.  The 31-year-old’s total bail is now $115,000.

Tammy Lynn Vaughn, 40, was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of injury to a child.  She was out of Wichita County Jail Saturday afternoon on $15,000 total bail.

According to court documents:

On Sept. 29, Wichita Falls police met with officials at Lamar Elementary School after an 8-year-old child showed up to school with bruising to his ear.  The boy was taken to the hospital for treatment because his injured ear was bleeding.

During the investigation, detectives discovered two more victims. The two girls were taken to Patsy’s House Child Advocacy Center to be forensically interviewed.

The first girl, 10, said Corey would have her bend over and touch some bricks outside in the front yard of a residence.  If she moved or fell to the ground, the girl said she had to the count of three to get back up or Corey would start over the number of times he was going to hit her.

The girl added that sometimes Corey didn’t give her a chance to stand up and would instead continue hitting whatever part of her body he could reach while she was on the ground.

The second girl, 11, describe a wooden paddle with the words “Act Right” written on it that was used to hit the children.  She said she had to bend over and hold on to the couch while getting hit.  The girl said Vaughn would sit on the couch next to her and keep count of the number of hits the girl received.

The 11-year-old was unsure how many times she was hit but said Corey told her and the boy they had 90 more hits coming for not completing sentences they were supposed to write.

Detectives executed a search warrant on a residence in the 1100 block of Hawthorne and located a wooden paddle with black zip ties and tape wrapped around it and “Act Right” written in black lettering.

Vaughn admitted to detectives that Corey had asked her to witness him discipline the children.  She described similar incidents as the children but denied knowing how many times they were hit.

She also told police she was a foster parent for the Department of Family and Protective Services, and that she had a child placed in her home at the time of the incident.  She was unable to provide a “reasonable explanation” as to why she failed to report the abuse to Child Protective Services or law enforcement.