RACINE, WI – Police were called to investigate a case of suspected child abuse after school officials noticed makeup had been applied to try covering up bruises on an 11-year-old girl’s face.
The girl’s mother, a 31-year-old woman from Racine, is charged with felony child abuse as a result of the incident. If convicted, she could face up to six years imprisonment. The mother’s name is not being used to protect the child’s identity.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court, police were called to Knapp Elementary School on April 15, after a girl came to school with bruises on her face and body. When asked about the injuries, she said they came from things like running into a doorknob, having her ankle hit a wall, and when she tried to avoid stepping on the dog.
There were marks on her face, according to the complaint, that she said were caused when her mother “whooped” her, after she got in trouble in school.
Police went to search the home where the girl said the incidents took place and found blood stains on the carpet, a bloody pillowcase, bloody clothes and blood spatter on a door.
The mother has been given a $500 cash bond and $5,000 signature bond on these charges. She is due in court on May 22 for a preliminary hearing.
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