A man accused of tying up and whipping his girlfriend’s toddlers has been charged
A Pierce County man accused of tying up his girlfriend’s toddler children, putting tape on their mouths and whipping them with cords was charged Thursday.
The 23-year-old pleaded not guilty at arraignment in Superior Court to two counts of second-degree child assault.
According to court records:
The mother contacted police Monday and reported that her boyfriend had used cords to tie the hands of her 3-year-old and 2-year-old children.
She said he taped their mouths, whipped them with cords and that she was scared of him.
He has threatened to kill her and the toddlers and routinely slaps her, she said.
The woman said the man was waiting for her outside in a car with the kids.
Police arrived and found them.
The older child showed officers bruises on his arm and cuts that had scabbed over. He also had a cut under his eye and a bump on his forehead.
Officers asked how he got the injuries, and the toddler pointed at the suspect, court records show.
The children were taken to a hospital, where a doctor found they had whip marks and bruises. Some of the younger child’s whip marks had scarring.
They both cried out in pain when the doctor was checking them.
The younger child also had burns on his body.
The suspect allegedly told police that he hit the children with his headphones because they were not listening and were rude.
This story was originally published May 9, 2019 at 4:49 PM.
