Hey, hey, hey, hey. Get back. You are not going to be doing this. Get back or you'll be placed under arrest. Understand me. Got to calm down. It's okay. Okay. You're smacking that horse. I mean, this little kid's got this move. She was hitting him so hard in his head. If there's anyone we should be able to trust, it's our parents. But for some people, their parents are the problem. Through neglect, cruelty, and reckless abuse, many children suffer at the hands of their own parents. Thankfully, their living nightmare ends when they're rescued from abusive parents by good cops. Silence, man. Silence. Silence. You're upsetting your daughter. Stop. You're upsetting your daughter. You're upsetting her, man. Stop. Stop. How dare you freaking your daughter out? I just told you that. I know. On September 11th, 2022 in Florida, police responded to a domestic disturbance call from a 15-year-old girl. When officers arrived on scene, they spoke to a very concerned neighbor. The girl had confided in the neighbor about her very abusive father. [Applause] Hi there. What's going on? Um, my little friend here. She's in my car. I locked her in my car. Okay. She called on her dad. Okay. Her dad abused her. Um, her dad did what? He he he abused her. Like he beat her. Okay. And um he left bite marks on her cheek. She has scars all up here and on her back, on her leg. She's terrified. How How old is she? 15. 15. Okay. Where is he at? He's in the bathroom, but he told me he's not here. I've been trying I've been trying to get him to calm down. When So when did that happen? When is your um yesterday morning? I believe the neighbor doesn't know the family well, but the 15-year-old girl felt safe enough talking to the woman about the abuse. For many reasons, victims like this young girl find it very difficult to come forward. So, the neighbor provided her with extra encouragement. What? What happened to Maria? Yeah. Scared? Show them. You called, you're scared, you talk to them. These people you need to talk to. She's having anxiety. She don't want to be here with him. She's terrified to go down. Where did this happen? It was the marathon at first. Where did it happen at? He kept her out at the marathon in the truck all night long. Night before last. And I kept telling her, "Bring her back here. Bring her back here." Now, I'm not her mom, but that's She's like my child, you know. [Applause] He had blood. Yeah. And she terrified. But I mean, you you call you got to talk to them. You got to show them. Show them cuz that's the only way things are going to get a resolve. If that's really what how you feel and it's the truth, then you got to speak up. Silence is silence is never heard. And you know, I never tell you nothing wrong. Because her abuser was her father. The girl still had a very strong emotional connection to him, and there was also the likelihood that she'd been manipulated into believing that the abuse was her fault. They then separated the neighbor from the girl, and the girl was given the opportunity to speak to another officer privately. When did it happen? Yesterday, the night before last here. Where were you guys in a car? What? How? What? He grabbed you by your what? Oh, your braids. Is that because you were trying to get out of the car? Why didn't you call the police after you couldn't? This the first time you can call. Yeah, I understand. Where were you staying before? You was You've been staying here since last time I seen you here. Yeah. What kind of injuries do you have? Dad scratching your face, lip. He was hitting you and stuff like that. You have something on your chest as well? Is that your dad's brother? I meant sister. Oh, no. Okay. Okay. Did he tell you what he did to her? In addition to being a great support to the victim, additionally, the neighbor was also an important witness. Not only did she hear about the abuse from the victim, but the father here had also admitted it to her. He told the neighbor he had choked her, grabbed her by the hair, and left bite marks on her as well. She was already saying to tell him that he's not here, but he is in there. Hi there. Hi there. You want to know what's going on? Yes. All right. Check it out. Check it out. Okay. So, we don't we argue and very stern. You know what I'm saying? She has a mouth. She disrespects me. What? So, I had some people here that had no business here. I've been told to leave. She wanted to come home. I said, "No, you're not coming home." Now, what's disturbing her is that y'all over here and she's still home in jail. Now, I don't know because I started to call y'all early dead serious. She hasn't been home the entire night. You feel me? I dropped her off with my home girl right there. Come to find out, she with the people that I put out my house. Now, whatever happened between last night and her getting licking back up with them this morning, I have no clue. All right, let's talk about the night before over by the marathon. The father claimed that he didn't physically assault his child, but that he was assertive. And when a child suffers serious harm, whether it's physical or emotional, the line has been crossed, that first Well, look, we can we can just be totally honest. Her story was a little bit more than you just put her in the car. No. And that's the real reason why we're here. No. No. No. Other Now, listen. Now, listen. Now, listen. I don't but what I do is you're gonna sit down and do what I tell you to do because now you're you're you're openly being disrespectful, bro. You understand what I'm saying? I understand that. But we we really focusing on the physical part of it. Okay. So, you pulled her in the car. Then what? You drove off and when we went Listen, when we got behind covers over there in that little parking lot, we sat down and talked. We sat down, we talked. I don't know what she told me. I don't know what the people she was with last night cuz she hanging with some real nasty evil. I'm telling you guys the truth. Ask her. She has not been here the entire night. I don't know what they done put in their head. So two nights ago, where'd you guys stay? Not last long. No, last night I was here last night. Two nights ago. That been the night before last. Right over there. Listen, when I parked my car, my was there for 12 hours. It was that bad that I could not be here. It's Listen, I don't feel comfortable. This your house right now. Listen, I cleared it. Yes, sir. I I invited some people in and I invited some people like me and my daughter, we got good relationship. I want to let you know that the father changed his story and claimed the injuries she suffered were caused by someone else. It was a good thing the neighbor came forward because at this point, it wasn't just his word against hers. How'd you get all all the injuries on her? Sir, I have no clue. I'm being dead serious. I'm being dead serious on her. I'm not lying. If she didn't tell you, I don't. Okay. Well, there there in lies the issue is. Did she tell? Did she say I did? Yes, she did. I did not do that. That's what I'm trying to get you to understand. I didn't do that. And it's foul. Hey, Takar. Who you been hanging with lately? I'm going to jail. Yeah. Go and put your hands behind the back for now. All right. Hey, listen. [Music] You going to have to tell M what you doing? But I didn't do nothing. Hey, hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? I'm going to be a detective. I'm under arrest. Right now? Right now, you're under arrest. Okay. Can I ask you a question? Yeah. Yeah. What I do? Well, right now for suspicion of child abuse. Oh my god. With the father out of the picture now, the officers had to find someone to care for her and a place for her to stay, especially given her injuries and her fragile state of mind. The cops again talked to the neighbor to see if she knew anyone who could take care of the girl. I'm sorry. No, he's trying to get her to It's It's No, he's trying to talk to her. Yeah. Trying to talk now. Um Yeah. Um I I need her to go to the hospital. Okay. Um, are you willing to drive her down there? I'll follow you. Um, or I can or I can take her. Take her. Okay. You take her because I'm not her mom. I really don't I'm not as I don't really know them like that. But I took affection to her, right? You know, because of him and I just got a real close. I've only known them for maybe like a few weeks. Okay. But I have a really tight bond with her, right? You know, and she does confide in me and she trusts Okay. you know, and I don't know what else to do from here, right? Because I have my own daughter, my own grandpa. Yeah. I mean, does do you know does she have any other family? Um, yeah, she does. [Music] Listen, calm down. [Music] You're going to go into the hospital, right? But you're not going anywhere. You're not you're not in trouble or anything like that. All right. There was also a very strong chance that the girl was not fully revealing the extent of her abuse. Bite marks are a sign of physical abuse, but can also be a warning sign abuse. Abuse like this could have been perpetrated by the father or the other people he'd had visiting the house inside the car. The officer then questioned the man's version of events. Your daughter said you I know that be bro. Well, why would she put that on somebody else? Because she's angry. Because I won't let her do what she want to do. Where she want to do it, Chris. Hey, help me. I didn't do this, baby. I'm sorry. I went a little little heavy on my Okay. Wait, now I'm pilot. Okay, we just Far as those marks. Listen, somebody's in my daughter's ear. Listen, ask her. Ask her. She has been sneaking. Well, I ain't going to say she been sneaking, but one night, listen, sir. One night it was about Oh my god, what happened? Something happened and I was in that boo cry. I had a little breakdown. Okay. And she was nowhere to be found. Listen, she was with my homeboy so-called flame. They was gone about 2, three hours. Okay, you understand me? I couldn't find my baby nowhere. All right. I was up, bro. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's going on, but somebody is doing something to her and she's putting it on me. Before being brought to the station, the man started shouting he was innocent, which his daughter overheard as she continued to cry. Even though the man was already in handcuffs, he was still trying to manipulate her and make her feel guilty for his own actions. Thankfully, the neighbor was still close by and ensured she was okay. You're upsetting your daughter. Stop. You're upsetting your daughter. You're upsetting her, man. Stop. Stop that. I told you freaking your daughter out. I just told you that. I know. I just told you that. If you care about it, then you know, you know, you already knew what's going on. Calm down. You got to calm down, baby. Got to calm down. It's okay. Okay. It's okay. Yeah. Right. Right. Right now, all we have is that they were behind the marathon and Yeah. and he grab grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back in. So, so we'll see. I'm going to take her to the hospital. Can you stay inside with her? Yes. Thank you. They got in contact with a cousin to take temporary custody of the girl. The father was charged with child neglect without bodily harm. On the 26th of April, 2023 in Florida, police responded to a call about an armed assault inside a residence. A juvenile male made the call and later spoke to officers outside a neighbor's house. What's up, man? What's going on? I don't know. She beat up my sister, uh, chased her outside with a metal fat. I think she hit her. I'm not sure. I tried to take up her and she, uh, she hit me in my back. She back. She hit me like right here. Holy crap. She hit me in my arm and then my uh elbow area right here. Okay. No, with the bat. Look, man. Metal baseball bat. Okay. What's your mom's name? Uh Jane Smith. Maria Smith. She's inside right now. Maria Smith. Okay. All right. Do me a favor. Just stand right here. Devon waiting with him, sir. Yeah. I told I told him he can sit on my porch if you want. Yeah. My partner will be here in a minute. Just wait right here. All right. Cuz we about to get a statement from you on all the way. All right. about force pumping victimized bruises along his back right before her. I'm 21 trying to make contact with mom cuz she still has a bat in her hair. In Florida, a steel baseball bat is considered a deadly weapon and even waving it at someone to intimidate them can be classified as an aggravated assault. Allegedly, the mother used the bat to harm two minors and she was facing serious charges. Police then confronted the mother. Someone's coming out. Yeah. Come out with your hands up, please. Come out with your hands up, please. I just need you to come out with your hands up. See your hands. She's good. What? Are you Stop this way, man. What am I? Okay. In the house. My kids are in the house. What? Hold on here. What is happening here? What am I doing this for? You want to explain everything? Been detained. All right. Not detained for what? Explain. Okay. Where are you? They're all upstairs. One's in the bathroom. There's three of them in there. Just call them out. Just call them out, please. Come over here. I can sit over here. I don't need to be love everybody else. Now, why am I being detained? How old are kids? My 15-year-old's in the shower. My daughter is 10 and my son is eight. [Music] Once in a shower. What am I being detained for? Based on our call, which was what? How many kids do you have? My 17-year-old is somewhere running around here with a BB gun. The woman hesitated to mention that her 17-year-old son had called the police. She then tried to put him in a bad light, mentioning the boy had been running around with a BB gun. The cops then returned to speak with her son. Once again, a supportive neighbor stood by his side during the investigation. What did she do this for? Nothing. No, it was it was really my little brother. He cried over some cereal. He went and hit my little sister. He hit my he hit my sister. And uh she retaliated back and said, "Don't hit me." And you know, my mom, she's more lenient with the little ones, the two little ones. So, she went back and forth for my sister. uh put her out the house saying, "Oh, she don't want it. I told you you could have stayed with your dad. I don't want y'all here." Hold on. Uh this your dad Hello. Hold on. Hello. What happened? Uh she hit me with a metal bat in my back, lower back area. I think like middle back area. She hit me in my arm and my shoulder. I ran outside. She tried pulling a BB gun on me. I took it and it was a rifle. So, I threw it in the lake and uh she she threatened me with the bat again. She got I'm telling Julia to unmute the phone cuz she was on the phone with Grammy to so I could tell her to explain everything to her. And you know, she just kept coming out back and forth with the bat threatening me. So, I just had to come to the neighbor and I I tried calling you and I called the police. In very big households with this many kids, arguments are almost inevitable. However, when she picked up a baseball bat and threatened her children, she definitely crossed a line. According to her son, when he tried to stop her, she then aimed the bat at his little sister and then him. What? I think she tried she tried to grab the It was a BB gun rifle in the corner. She tried grabbing it on me and I grabbed it from her and I threw it in the lake and I said, "Um, what you're doing isn't right at all to us." And my sister's on the phone with my grandma and she used the phone and I uh tell her, "Uh, you need to unmute the phone. I need to talk to Grammy." And as I'm telling her to do this, I said, "Unlock the gate, please. I need to talk to my grandma." You got injuries or anything? Oh, yeah. All right. Let them check you out. Yeah. Um, just by looking at it, you can tell there's not really much going on. If you want to go to the hospital, we can take you, but I think they're just going to they would just x-ray you and send you back. You know, I would let you know if I felt that something was off or something was broken. Okay. Do you want to go? Huh? You want to go to the hospital fire rescue? I don't think it is major, but I got hit with a metal bat. Okay. There were security cameras outside the house, but they did not provide sufficient evidence of the woman attacking her son with the bat. However, the cops overheard the young man on camera telling his mother about hitting him with it. While she spoke to the officers, she was struggling to explain the incident. He was like in my face, which is why I had the bat in my hand. And he ran through my living room, tossed over a table, went through the side um on my couches where this table was, and the BB gun is in the corner, and he grabbed the BB gun and ran out the door with it. She was still outside on the phone with with my mother and I then locked the the gate behind him once he ran out with the reate. He then you can hear him on the thing telling her to open the gate and that I I effed up now because I hidden him with the back which I did not. What I did with the bat was smash my phone, which is mine that he was using because he was telling her to come and get the phone and I told him he didn't have a phone. And the phone got smashed. And then I threw the phone to him outside. He still had the BB gun and was cursing me out saying I guess it had said to him about me. I don't recall any. So, but that's when you heard him saying, "Oh, I effed up now. I effed up now. I hit him with the bat." The mother now claimed she held up the bat in self-defense. However, while she seemed to be unharmed, her son was covered in bruises. This raised questions about just how reasonable her supposed act of self-defense could have been. There was one reasonable trend here, that the boy was consistent with his story, but his mother's story kept changing. So, did you were you aware of any injuries that your son has? No. Injuries from what? Okay. So he's pretty banged up on his back and on his arm. Can you explain those where those might have come from? His on his arms and on his back from what? I have no idea. I don't have any idea either. He we were ran through the house and he knocked over the table, ran in the corner where the BV gun was. I don't know how he's got anything on his arms or on his back. He's definitely not for me. that what he did outside of the gate. I don't even know where he went after he ran off with the BB gun. He came back a few times, couldn't get back in the gate, and he left. So, I didn't know where where he went, which is why I went on about my business getting ready to take my child to baseball practice. So, I wasn't expecting you guys to show up at at my door. Yes, ma'am. So, you're saying at no point did you strike him? Did he strike you? He attempted to, which is why I grabbed the bat in the first place. Okay. So, he came at me. The bat was right by the door. I grabbed the bat when he came at me. How did he How did he come at you? How? Like lunged at me. Mhm. And you were So he was inside of the house. You were inside of the house. He was towards the I don't know how to explain that. I was standing like facing my back towards the stairs. He was picking up shoes that he had thrown all over the floor. Ultimately, the suspect was taken to jail and was later charged with child abuse. In Ohio, this distressing call was made to 911 during the early hours of the morning. A 4-year-old boy was running around on his own in a trailer park, and sadly, he showed clear signs of neglect. 911. What's the address to your emergency? What's going on there? 159. Um I I'm walking my dog and there's a child. He looks maybe four. He's got a really dirty diaper on. He's just running around. No parent and he's a little boy. Is he black, white, Spanish, Asian? He's white. He has blonde hair. His diaper is like down to his knees. Hold on. Come on, Boogie. Stay right here. Okay. I'm going try to grab him cuz I don't want him to get hit by a car. Okay. Which direction did he go from your trailer? He went to the right. Hey. Hey, buddy. Hey, buddy. What you doing? Do you live here? Hey, come here. What's your name? Hey. Hey, kiddo. Come here. Despite being a toddler, he also appeared to have communication issues. When the officer arrived, the child's very dirty diaper was a clear indication of neglect. The child didn't seem hungry or malnourished, but he gave the impression that he'd been left unattended for several hours. What's up? And you live at 15. What's a phone contact you at? Is there a Do you guys have a non-emergency number for the office here? Um, do you know of I don't know. Um, he really called up there. They're not very like full. The one time he did calls. I can split up. Well, I'll see if the dispatch has something. Okay. Yeah, he ran from this way. He's just knocked the trash cans over, ran that way. I don't know. I've never seen it before. But it looks it's been through paper a good minute. While speaking with dispatch, the officer identified the child and his address. As a matter of fact, it was the second time the cops had been called because the child was wandering the streets alone. The officer then went to the toddler's home to confront the parents about their negligence. Step out here. Is this your son? Is there reason why he's out here running around? Have a seat right here for me. Yeah. Is there Who all lives here? Uh me and my wife and mom and Okay. Is there a reason why your son is running around in a disgusting diaper? Who knows how long he's been running around right now? No, sir. No, sir. Okay. Are you high right now? No, sir. I'm not really tired. I just literally just woke up. Okay. What's your last name? What's your date of birth? 424. What? 84. So, is everybody inside still asleep? Uh, your wife is okay. Do you work anywhere? I'm sorry. Do you work anywhere? Yes, I do. Were you guys smoking last night? Uh, no. No. Why is all this out here? My wife was. I wasn't. Okay. Why are you struggling to answer questions of like your height and weight and your hair color and your eye color again? I just I literally just woke up like I'm like The body cam footage came from 2023, the same year was legalized in Ohio. But leaving around the house was just one more way they'd endangered their child. Also outside on the table there was a half empty bottle of alcohol. The cops then spoke to the mother who much like the father appeared quite hung over. So were you smoking last night? Yeah. You leave that it's out here where kids can get a hold of it. Not usually. Well, not usually. Is that how much you smoked last night cuz you didn't remember? What time did you guys smoke last night? About 9:30 10. Okay. Don't go in for right now. Okay. Is there any way I can look at the inside of your trailer? Yeah. Are your dogs friendly? They're friendly, but they sound rough. Can you go lock him into a back door or something? To bed. As you can see, I try to keep most of my stuff up here up here or I have another room out of um the way and his medication and where's bedroom at? Um he shares with his dad his crib broke. The house gave the impression of the morning after a party. However, the reality here was much much worse. As they looked around the house and searched the place, the officer quickly realized just how dangerous the environment was for the child. So, we're kind of improvising. I have two girls that only are only here every so often. I don't have three of them. Okay. And trying to see. This is the second time. I can't believe he did a second time. But I I have somebody watching him cuz before he got out when I was taking a nap cuz you know cuz I work overnight and so I switched everything around um to watch him during the week. Wait, you got ducks? We have one. Yeah, it's my roommates. I didn't know he left. What's the other thing in this? Is that a duck in there? You don't have to Yeah, I'll um do it in just a minute and then I'll have to Sorry, I'm trying to get my Is this your only bathroom? Um no, we have one back here. This is the one that we all use. There's everywhere. This is seems like more than just you smoking. It's all It's within reach of everybody. We'll make some phone calls. I'll be right back. Okay. As he was trying to put together a timeline, the officer soon discovered the boy had been left outside on his own for 2 hours. Surprisingly, none of them seemed overly concerned that their toddler had been running the streets. The cops soon called a family member who could take temporary custody of the child. I already got three little girls and I drive like just because the schools over there are ghetto. I drive 35 minutes every morning and then I leave work early to come all the way back. So, you're not going to have any issues with keeping them for long long I I don't know the time frame or anything. I just No, not at all. That's fine. I actually even said like I'm going to if y'all let me take him, I'm going to go buy him a bed and just go rearrange my whole house so he has his own bedroom. So, I just don't want him getting together. What kind of person is Todd then? Huh? What kind of person is Todd? I mean, um, so Todd's the boyfriend, Brian is the husband. They all live here together. Okay. And but Todd is like really kind of like uptight, you know what I mean? Like I don't really I don't know. I don't talk to him too much. He took over more than the dad did. Yeah. He takes care of him. Okay. So, are they married? Mhm. Yep. But then Todd's Todd's a boyfriend. I'm getting started on it. Yeah. I That's why That's why she That's why dad stays with son in one room. I guess that makes more sense now. I was trying to worry about it. But yeah, now I want to go. I got to worry about it. That old man that's said my house said, "Don't shut up." Literally talks so much. The relative explained she held the lease for the trailer, but she had subleted to the parents as they'd been evicted from their previous apartment. The mother is her aunt and the little boy is her cousin. You guys are both get placed under arrest for child neglect. Is it all right if Britney takes the kid? Turn. Put your hands behind your back. And who is Britney to you guys? I'm sorry. Who is Britney to you guys? Uh Britney is my my wife's sister's daughter. All right. You're getting placed under arrest for child neglect. Okay. Britney's here. Is it all right if she takes to Connor? Okay. Put your hands behind your back for me. Can you give my phone to me? Here, let me hold that. You got fill up the other one. Can you give my phone to You don't want it to go with you? Um, so that way you'll have it with you everywhere you go. Phone numbers. You need phone numbers and stuff out of Yeah. It's up to you. That way whenever you get out, at least you'll have a phone with you to you. So, yeah. Anything else you need out of the house? No. Okay. Um, is it okay if they go in and get diapers, clothes? We're not going in, but just Is there a way to lock the front door? How can we lock it? They have keys. As far as the parents go, it was their second offense. And they were both charged with child neglect and were sentenced to 7 years probation. On May 31st, 2023 in Florida, police got a call from shocked bystanders who witnessed a mother grabbing her daughter by the hair and yanking her backwards. I just I just thought I watch it, man. You are the one that called us. No, I was with the people that call. I'm just a patron. Hey, wherever you want to go. What do you want to sit in? Because you have whatever option you want. Ma'am. Ma'am. Ma'am, can I help you? What is going on? I'm telling my mom the truth. You're telling her the truth? I'm telling the mom. What's going on, sweetie? So, we just got there and she just messes me up and she keep on messing with me every single time. And she kept on being crazy. Okay. I'm trying, Nick. You're trying. I know. She put my headphones into water. When the bystanders went to confront the mother, she defended her behavior and didn't even deny committing these horrible acts. Like many abusive parents, she also thought that her child was to blame. So, you guys are just doing okay. She's having a meltdown to seven. Okay. and everybody else are concerned folks making sure that we're watching for 20 minutes. She been trying to go in the street with a bike and a busy street. We we're concerned with the child safety. That's all we're ped by the head. All right. So, I have another officer that's coming. Okay. So, we can start separating people and getting everybody inside the things. Okay. Do what we saw you do at the restaurant. That's insanity. Then step in my way because whenever you do that way when you I kick money. Yes. Amanda. Amanda, can you come talk to me over here? Yes, sir. She defended her actions as corporal punishment. While in most US states, this type of punishment is legal, it becomes illegal when there's any evidence of significant physical harm, such as lacerations or bruising. In this instance, she'd gone far beyond corporal punishment. The cops then spoke to the girl and gently asked her what had happened. What happened with what happened with mom? Um, now she just started going crazy now. She just started going crazy as that happened before. Yeah. Why did she go crazy? Because um she's always going crazy because she don't like to see anymore because um her mom just been mean and made ugly face to my mom. Who made ugly faces to your mom? My mom's mom. Your mom to mom. Do you have two moms? No. Like she has a mom. She has a mom too. My grandma. Where is grandma at? Huh? Where is your Where is your grandma at? Not in Texas. In Texas. When did you guys come here? Um we was in We was um um sleeping in um right beside Florida. And we got in Florida. In Florida. Have you been sleeping in your car? Yeah. Yeah. We packed up already. But she always yell at me every single time because um I just want to get new toys and and my mom don't let me every single time and I have a dad but he's in Virginia and they fight every they fight. The revelation that they might have been sleeping in the car raised further concerns about the child's welfare. Her trembling voice suggested that she was also afraid to talk to the police. So far, the girl admitted that her mother had been very angry and was acting quote unquote crazy around her. Eventually, the officer had to carefully ask the more difficult questions. Did Did mom do anything other than yell at you? Did she hit you or anything? She always hit me, but um we fight every single time and I just do ugly stuff to mom on accidents. But that's my baby. Um, so I just don't want mom to go to jail, though. Why would your mom go to jail? Um, she went to jail like three times. I thought three times. Why? Um, so mom and dad probably like my dad punched mom and my mom punched dad. My dad's name is Zach. So sometimes sometimes mom hits hits dad and sometimes dad hits mom. Does mom ever hit you? Every single time. We always fight every single time. You and mom fight. Where did she hit you? Everywhere. Everywhere. When did she hit you last time? Um, so she hit me on to the All right. Because it hurts. It just hurt. Does mom hit you with her hands? Does she hit you with anything else? She usually hits you on your butt. Yeah, it hurts. It hurts. Does she hit you anywhere else? Yeah, she hits me in the mouth, the hands, everywhere. It just hurts. The footage here didn't clarify what the girl meant when she said she did ugly stuff. The sad reality here is that kids who have been abused often internalize feelings of shame or guilt. Police then talked to the witnesses. Did you see what did you see? I saw a tail and just pull her hair. And they saw Yeah, it's hard for me to talk. Man, just choking me up. What? What happens in the immediate burning? Well, we have victim advocates who are really lovely people that work with us. And so the the victim advocate who's going to come to be with her right now is wonderful. I give her all the credit. After that point, I told Is she going to be in Vagar County like in a system like in a brief? No, it's up to It's up to the legal system. I'm a teacher, so I see. I know. So you've been in Well, I'll take her in if I have to. When you left, she said, "Where did he go?" Yeah, she got nervous. Although it wasn't obvious from the footage, the girl had bruises on her face, legs, shoulders, and left eyebrow. Also, she had scratches on her back and left arm. The cops then talked to the mother. Can you come come over to my car real quick? You go in. What are you doing? I'm giving you my hand. Your hands are fine. Do you have anything on you that could poke me or stick me? Uh, there's a razor blade in the There's a razor blade. Yes, sir. Where's mom? They're talking to her right now. So, uh, the mom has been at one of our bars. It's about 7:00 and it's what 10:30 now. Um, she's intoxicated. She was at a bar that was very busy. All right. B's a pretty swadd on her part. What she did, but she um pulled the little girl's hair while she was on a bicycle, snatched her back, and then he kicked her more than once um in her leg and then hit her in her back. It's okay. I'm just looking at mom. Oh, mom's just sitting there chilling. Not keeping mom for a week? Probably not. Probably not very because Is she going to be okay? She's going to be okay. She's gonna be with me and I'm gonna take care of her. Okay. Do you trust me? But she's a big kid and she is um 30. She's 30. But sometimes even I'm 32 and sometimes even 30 year olds they mess up and they get in trouble. Yeah. After arresting the woman, she was given a court order and was barred from being in contact with her daughter. They charged Amanda with child abuse without great bodily harm. In the state of Florida, it's a thirdderee felony. On the 19th of June, 2022, officers responded to a welfare check at an intersection after a witness reported seeing a four-year-old walking with an intoxicated adult male. Hi there, police department. Hi, buddy. Happy Father's Day. So, so the reason we're here is because somebody called in for a welfare check. Um, they said that it it seems like it maybe had too much to drink. Have you Is this your dollar that your job on you? Is this yours? I know. Is this your dollar? This is messa. Okay. No, we just we're just someone called in and we're just checking to make sure that you guys are okay cuz you look like you spilled spilled a little bit and we just want to make sure that you're okay. You guys can talk to the talk to him. This is my shot. Well, we want to talk to you first, but you're you're responsible for him and he's not wearing any shoes. Who the It doesn't matter. He's just he's just walking down the street. I live in aing m water. The father's intoxicated state poses a risk to the child's welfare. Despite the warm summer weather, the fact that the kid was barefoot was another red flag. I move over here cuz I want to wait for my brother and the my me. I don't I don't know how to speak furry. Oh, that's fine. English. So, you have family who's coming over here to meet you. You have family, your brother. You said you have family coming to come meet you. So, what do you if you live over here or if you live just right over here? What are you doing over here on the corner? No, I know. Oh, no. I know. Have you maybe had a little bit to drink today? Me? Yeah. I don't know how to speak English. What language do you speak? True. What language? What happened? What happened here? Did you spill talk to her? Yeah, I will. You guys can take I'll talk to him when you guys This is my son. Hey, I understand. No one's No one's challenging that. No one is saying that he's not your son. when you guys like talk to you guys like like I try to. Hi, baby. Someone just called and said they were concerned because they said you looked a little unsteady. Someone driving by said you looked a little unsteady. Who? Who? Who are you? We don't we don't know them personally. There was two people had driven by said that it seemed like you maybe have had too much to three. In addition to contacting family members, police also suggested they move away from the busy intersection. When the father agreed to do so, his neglectful attitude towards the child became even more apparent. Do you do you you live right over here though, right? Can we can we help just walk you over there? I mean, is that something we can do? We just want to make sure I'll take an car you got no shoes on. Can I carry you? Come here, sweet pee. How old are you? You're all wet. How old are you? Very sticky. What if? Okay. Well, he's just like literally walking away from his kid. So, we're not going to have to make sure there's a child safe. Well, I mean, he's just literally leaving his kid. Yeah. Hi, baby. What's your name? Oh, that's a stuff. Is he hung right now? Are you okay? Are you hungry? Huh? Very. Yeah. Was there someone here? Oh, that is a person. Do you know this little boy? Sorry to bother you. Do you know him? No. Okay. Okay. Hey, on the ground. The cops began to suspect that he might be homeless and furthermore questioned whether to call child protective services. Police then asked the man if he'd been drinking. They just thought that you you look like you maybe had a couple drinks this morning and were a little understated on your feet. I did. I'm joking. Yeah. How how am I? Just today is my day off. Yeah. Father's Day. I know. Yeah. You got to You got to relax, you know. Yeah. We are not letting this boy go with him until we have another grownup. We just wanted to make sure that you were okay, that he was okay, and that you got someone else here who can kind of keep an eye on everybody. So, are you guys Which one are you guys in? You can talk. So, do you not have your uh car key, your key card? My my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law that the one that have my her car key. Okay. But you which which room are you staying in? Can I see you here? Do you have any owies? Huh? Do you have any owies on you? What happened? You're all sticky. Do you know how old you are? Can we Is there somebody in the room that we can knock on the door? No. Do you any guys who talk to the owner? I don't know if they're here. It's Father's Day, so they're probably not here. The cops returned to the hotel where the father appeared uncertain about his room number. The motel manager confirmed he was staying there and they contacted his brother and his brother-in-law. Can you come talk? Are you the owner of the motel? Yeah. Is this his room? Yeah, his room. This is his room. No, this room. The next one? Yeah, but today checking today checking but this guy this room number six but they decide to stop here. Your brother where are you going? Huh? Your brother they they go somewhere at 12:00 here. Huh? Yeah. He say at 12:00. I'm try to wait for them. Do you have a phone number? Okay. Okay. Yeah. We need to It's okay. We stay with him and I'll go. How do you How do you think of me? No, I Hey, I just want to make sure that you're okay, you know? Come on now. Hey, that's that's what I'm That's what I'm here for, right? Cuz I I'm just trying to make sure that you're okay and that your your son's okay and that you that you able to get your That is my son. Yeah. When police had more time alone with the child, they discovered more signs of neglect. He was covered in soda and the boy's diaper was soaking wet. As a 4-year-old, he was probably a bit too old to be wearing diapers. Thankfully, soon after the brothers arrived on scene. Other brother. Okay. Have either one of you had anything to drink today? No, I don't like drinking. Okay. I'm just asking cuz he's he's very intoxicated. We He was over here on the sidewalk if your nephew and he just doesn't I mean I don't Why are you guys still being put in jail? You guys need put him in jail? Yes. That's the only way you're going to stop doing this. This is not the first time you do this. I was just going to ask you this is like this is a common thing. Yes. Always. Okay. Where's mom at? Mom run away. Mom involved. Okay. Okay. Because of him. Okay. He always fighting with us because of something is nonsense. Cuz I want you guys to put him in jail forever. Not for forever. Cuz he never listen to us. If we say something to him, he never going to listen to us. I I get it. I see. I see you're very upset about it. I understand that. Um so when it comes to Cuz I mean, I get you guys have your own beef, but right, he doesn't have a choice on this matter. You guys could hypothetically just leave, but our concern is him. So, as far as like is he the only parent that's involved with this young little boy? And do you guys have the resources to take care of him? Like, if you were to have custody or me and my wife, the one who raised up the boy, do not want to or are do you do or don't? I we want to. Okay. So, what I'm getting at is that then a case can be made, right? So, what we're going to do is we're going to write up a case to CPS as as well as charges against your brother for his behavior. While no further evidence was needed, the violent threats made by the father were yet one more reason why he should not have custody of the child. The cops were also concerned that he might get more aggressive when they tried to remove the child from his care. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Get back. You are not going to be doing this. Get back or you'll be placed under arrest. Understand me. I get that, but you're drunk and you're not going to be any help to nobody. Do you understand me? I am telling you, you are going to let him go to the hospital and be seen and we will make sure he's safe. Do you understand? They say that. Yes. They're not drunk. You are. We're not doing this today. Not in front of your boy. That the is my son. I get that, but you're drunk and you're no help to nobody right now. Do you understand? You're drunk. Let him go get seen at the hospital. They know where you live. They are your brothers, right? the [ __ ] They just want to make sure that he's okay. That's that's all they're doing. Okay. That is my son. Yeah. And they're just going to make sure that he's okay. The firefighter, they just want to make sure to get him checked out. That That's it. They're not taking him away. They just want to make sure that he's okay. Would you rather are strangers? Remember me. Remember me. Okay. Are you threatening your family in front of police officers? No. Sounds like a threat to me. Soon thereafter, the father began to realize the gravity of his actions, and as a result, he adopted a calmer tone with the police. While he may not be on good terms with his brothers, at this point, his son would be under their care or with social services. It's about his It's about his health over what you want right now. Okay. Okay. Okay. If you can just sober up, go stop drinking, find a clear moment, right? And then we start again later. Okay. Okay. Okay. Anyway, anyway, I can talk to my brother. They don't want to talk to you. They want you. They don't want They just came from them. They don't want to talk to you. They want you to go back. Only my brother. They don't want to talk to you. I just talked to them. They want you to They want you so uh she's so like angry because you are drunk with your kid on the side of Pack Highway. His diaper is soaked and he's covered in Fanta. That's why I'm upset. I'm here to protect this little boy, not you. The child was taken to the hospital where the uncle explained that the child's mother had left because the father was abusive. Child protection services were already aware of the family and already had custody of another child. Once the child was medically cleared, CPS took temporary custody of him while the uncle applied as a permanent caregiver. On the 10th of May 2023, police were alerted to a domestic disturbance. This one involved a grandmother hitting her 5-year-old grandchild. Hello. I'm the one that caught up fast my puppy daughters who go to his house every day. These kids in prison. Yes, I did smack them. It's all all the bruise on the occup. All right. Look at him. There's not a bruise on him. I did. I want you to smack him here. Hit his head. They're all drama queens and he wants to put me in jail. My daughter all the time. Kids in prison and he's on all the time. All right. So, uh I have legal custody of the children. That's fine. They're all under counseling. Okay. They have discipline problems. The mothers are she comes in out of their life. She comes in out of her life. I did smack him. Then he starts hollering. As far as grandma was concerned, she was simply disciplining her grandchild for misbehaving. However, when the cops spoke to one of the people who reported her, they were then presented with something much more disturbing. She's got three of them, a little guy in the front seat and two granddaughters. Two kids, one was sitting over here already. The other one was in the car. The bus pulled up. The older one got out. The two got on the bus. Little man didn't want to get out of the car. She opened the passenger door on this side. He was on the back right side. Come on. Come on. Yelling, screaming at him. She walked around, grabbed the kid, jerked him out the car, grabbed his head, started beating him in the head. This lady jumped out yelling and screaming. Stop hitting him. Stop hitting him. I ran over to yell at her and all of a sudden she just went crazy. The little kid is scared. Go ask him. Talk to him. Uh, okay. Hi, buddy. You okay? The available body cam footage did not include the boy's conversation with police. However, according to police reports, he told the officer that after refusing to go to school, the grandmother pulled his hair and punched him in the head. He also disclosed that on a daily basis he was hit by his grandmother. Come on. Come on. Come on. You got to go. We can't ever. And I went to grab him. I said, "Come on." And I went to slap my shoulder and the dog had to hit me in the head. All right. I'll help you out. All right. You okay? You need a hug? Come here. All right. We'll figure it out. Okay. Oh, yes. Don't worry about it. And were you guys like screaming or anything after he comes out? He's trying to get down the bus and she comes out spinning. I saying it. I ain't saying it. Let me see. Come down. Yeah. Come on. To get charges pressed, police needed a statement from witnesses. One of the witnesses knew the woman personally and said it was a pattern of behavior and not a one-time incident. I know her. I used to work with her daughter. She's another You all know her daughter, too. They're out their damn minds. Um, she beats these kids all the time. Every day at this bus stop, she's cursing, screaming at him. She can't. It's ridiculous. DCF is supposed to be involved yet nothing's getting done. These poor kids are suck. There's no food in the house. There's all She's got like eight or nine dogs there. It's crazy. It's ridiculous. So this morning I said, "Yo, I'm done. You're not the only dude no more." So when she started beating that kid like that, you know, I watched him beat him a bunch of times on his butt, but yo, this is crazy. Okay. You grabbing hair. How old is he? 5 years old. He's sitting in the front seat. Yeah, I can. His name is He's a good little kid, but he's so scared. It's ridiculous. I jump out of my car. I'm yelling at her. She's like, I didn't leave a mark on him. Whatever. You're smacking the floor. I mean, this little kid's got this mood. She was hitting him so hard in his head. No, you know, like a spanking. She was beating that kid in the head. Oh, yeah. Okay. And you're not familiar with this family? I have no I don't even know. I don't know cuz I never come this way specifically to avoid the school bus. Gotcha. All right. Thanks a lot. Yes, ma'am. Um, so are you able to tell me what happened, what you saw? Um, I was sitting in my car. All the kids were piling up on the bus and then uh was the car parked here. Yes, ma'am. Um sorry. It's okay. You're good. You're good. Um and he didn't want to get on the bus. He's done it before. It's never gotten to this point. He's gotten on crying, but it never got to the beating point that I've seen. Uh I've seen her try to like pry him out of the car, but not strike him the way she did. Spanking. I spank my kids when they need this. That's one thing. But hitting, she had a closed fist, had them on the side of the car, and was to swing. Where was she landing any blows? I saw him get hit once in the head, and that's when I got out. So, I don't know what in the process I cuz I had I had my babies in the car. I had to make sure they're okay. As one of the witnesses implied earlier, there was definitely something not quite right with her mentally. So there was an interesting dynamic when she was speaking to the officers and was no longer in control and had to respond to the officer's demands. Do you understand each of these right to explain? So what are you are you charging in the subject matter? Do you understand these right to explain? Yes, but I'm asking a question. Let me ask let me ask you this other question with these rights in mind. Are you willing to talk to me? I just want to know if I'm getting charged with something. I will explain it to you. I need you to answer these questions. But first with the I'm not going to talk to you unless you answer these questions. With these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to me? Not if I'm getting charged with something. Okay. At this point, you are being placed under arrest. Okay, I will talk to you. I'll talk to you. We're past that. No, I will talk to you. We're past that. Turn around. Listen, I will talk to you. Turn around. Do not by your car. I got you like your crying ability. I have arthritis. Yep. Just the most important thing here was the child's welfare. During these formative years, the way adults treat children can have a lifelong impact. One of the witnesses tried to comfort the young boy. But the grandmother, even while arrested, still wanted to intimidate and harass the boy. You have a good day, too. You're going to get your bag and take I don't have to go to school. You have gloves on in here. Real smart, right? Talk to you later, then. All right, just face the car. You'll pay, babe. You'll pay, baby. We know what a you are, boy. I'm talking. You know, exactly. You have a six-year-old little boy that that you need to make a positive impact on. And that talking is not really working. This is what he says. It doesn't matter. Go stand over there because I don't want to do this in front of your grandson. I But the more Well, he just did it, man. He's the one that just came over here speaking all this. This is for your lady. You have pockets? Yeah. You have underwear on? Yes, I have. for me. I have a bladder. I'm going to do my set. She's like, "All right." The grandmother was charged with child abuse. And as for the kids, they were temporarily in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. On the 12th of August 2024 in Ohio, police responded after reports of a woman who was wandering the area with a baby vandalizing property and randomly attacking residents. Police first talked to a woman whose home had been damaged by the suspect. Did you call police? Yes. What's going on? Um, our neighbor that lives behind us knocked out our back window. Okay. Um, everybody's in the back. I was asleep whenever it happened. They just came and woke me up. You know why that why does I right here? We back here. We back here. Like they right here. Yeah. Yeah. She did all this and she went to my house. Who's she? The girl who lived right next door to me. She went to my house and tried to break into my house and everything. She tried to fight me. So I got bruises and everything. She got cuts and stuff all over her leg and everything. She had a baby in her hand. I live across the walk and I seen it myself. She bust open her window. So that's why I came over here. When I came over here, she attacked me. So she went to my house. She at her house. So if y'all want to go see her, she fallen. And back. Back it up a second. She lives in the first right here. She has a one-year-old over there. She was asleep. This my daughter's apartment from work. And she was sleeping in the bushes. She was sleeping in the bushes. She was sleeping in the bushes. Woke her up. I'm like, "You have a a supple there, a one-year-old little boy over there. You need to get up. Where's something?" The witnesses knew the suspect, a woman named Faith, who lived nearby. As far as they were concerned, the only explanation for the suspect's crimes was that she was heavily intoxicated. This was particularly concerning because she was the mother of a baby. The cops soon showed up at the woman's door. [Music] I'm going go the other side. See what I can see. All the way. [Music] Got pit bulls in there. The presence of pitbulls made it unsafe to go in. As well as being neglectful to her baby, it's highly likely that she was also neglecting her pets. Eventually, the officers spotted Faith inside the house. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Put your dog up. Come outside. Come outside. Put your dog up. What? Close your door. The dog is the What do you do? And there's no dog coming out. There's a dog running around in there. Do you live here? There's no dog coming around this house. I'm serious. Is your name Faith? Yes. What's going on with your baby in there? The dog? What do you What do you need? Talk to I need you to put the dog in a crate. I can go inside if you Okay. Go in there and put the dog in the crate. There is no dog outside. There is There's a dog inside. There's no dog. Listen. You're going to go inside and you're going to put the dog in the crate. Do you understand me? Put the dog in the crate. Put the dog in the crate. You put the dog in the crate. What dog? The dog running around inside of your apartment. What dog? Dude, as she interacted with the officer, she was showing no concern whatever for the baby in her care. So, while she'd not harm the baby physically directly, she was being neglectful. Shortly after, she was placed under arrest. Can you please arrest legally have to tell me why you arrest Drew? They're arresting me. Okay. You said no. There's nobody else. Arresting me for no cause. Who's Drew? Who's Drew? Stay still. Stay still. Why are you arrest right now? [Music] You're right now. order an investigation for some damage. Come here. I'll tell you in a minute. Let me see your hands. You haven't investigation, bro. What investigation have you, bro? Christy, they haven't seen. Go ahead. Sit right here. This investigation for No. No, excuse me. You cannot. Hey, you can't talk to me like that. She incorrectly stated that the cops had to inform her of the reason for the arrest. The cop, however, didn't argue over the point and brought her immediately out to the squad car. More importantly, the cops then attended to her screaming child. Okay, I feel like it's too cold for him out here. He's already he's already sick. So, mom's under arrest. Okay, there's a dog running on around inside my wife's [ __ ] dog too much. So, he's going to get a little sick. Okay. Mom's going to go to jail. So, we still got to get everybody's info. Yeah. Okay. So, if you just want to put him in the car just works one. So, what happened with that window? You get a little angry and people get angry at times. I get it. The temper the temper got let go. Did you Did you just fall victim to your temper? Is that what happened? I know that like you probably have a lot of black people just be like um I'm just tripping out on you and they just like keep on. I know that like probably do. But that's who you and I are. What's your name? Was in that that What's your name? My name is Faith. Faith. What's your What's your son's name? In Ohio, neglecting a child is considered a first-degree misdemeanor. And the suspect could face up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The fact that she couldn't even recall her son's name was incredibly worrying to the officer. Even more alarming was that she didn't seem to know where he was. No, he good, bro. Hey, what's your son's name? He good with his dad. What's your son's name? His name is And he is okay with his father. Is your son's name? No. What's your name? We need your son. My name is What's his last name? I like I like What's his last name? Is it Baker like yours? Baker. You said it's okay. What is uh what is 12? I didn't do wrong, bro. I didn't do wrong to dislocate my son, bro. You can't I didn't wrong, bro. My house ain't wrong. My mom, bro, my son, bro. I need I come from a house, bro. I can't come goddamn from my house, bro. You can't You can't take me from my son, bro. The suspect continued trying to talk to the officers, but she was pretty much incomprehensible. She claimed that the father was in the house, but she had originally stated he was in Cleveland. The cops were then unsure if she was talking about the baby or the father. And when she was placed in the squad car, her erratic behavior continued. I'm a drunk black stupid. I'm just a stupid junk, bro. Hey, if you keep doing that, you got to get No, bro. I'm just a stupid junk, bro. You just going to remember me, bro. You going to see me in 3 years. You going to remember me as a drunk, stupid, bro. You ain't going to remember me. You don't need me to do, bro. You need me to get it together now. Cuz you need me to get it together now. If I don't get it together by myself, bro, I got to get it together, bro. Hey, you're w to put you in this thing that What? The sideboard. Why? You going to sit me in the sideboard? They charge the woman with disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property, and assault. Not everyone's afforded the privilege of a happy home. In all of these cases, the cops stepped in to punish these abusive parents, but also made sure the kids were brought to safety and given a much better start in life. Hopefully, all the kids involved here will have brighter days ahead.