A day care worker from northern Kentucky has been arrested and fired, after she allegedly taped a toddler to a mat during the child’s nap time.

Police have charged 20-year-old Alicia Lyons, above, with first-degree criminal abuse, after it was claimed Lyons and an accomplice used duct tape to bind a toddler to a sleeping mat after he wouldn’t go to sleep. Lyons was arrested last Wednesday, and was released from the Kenton County jail on Thursday, according to The Kentucky Enquirer.

Police acted after the child’s parents alerted authorities. Ludlow police chief Wayne Turner said the incident occurred in October 2011, when the child was around 18 months old.

Unsurprisingly, Lyons quickly found herself out of a job, with her employer Mustard Seeds Child Care in Ludlow firing her immediately. In a statement, the center insisted the incident was isolated, and that it was working alongside police and state officials to establish what happened.

Assuming she is found guilty, what punishment do you feel Lyons deserves? And parents of young’uns, do you feel day care centers are monitored closely enough in your area?

See also:
Toddler Badly Beaten By Another Toddler At Preschool [Pic]
Stoner Dad Drops Joint in Toddler’s Lunchbox, Gets Arrested

Day Care Worker Tapes Toddler to Floor for Nap is a post from: The Inquisitr

A pair of guns reportedly seized from gangsters Bonnie and Clyde have sold for a combined $210,000 at auction.

The guns, an 1897 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and a .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun (a ‘tommy gun’ in common parlance), were both reportedly found by authorities after a 1933 shootout with police. The auction in Kansas City saw an anonymous online bidder make winning bids of $80,000 for the Winchester shotgun, and $130,000 for the tommy gun.

The guns had not come with a pre-auction valuation, though online bids for the tommy gun had reached $35,000. Auctioneer Robert Mayo, owner of Mayo Auction & Realty, told Reuters he wasn’t alarmed by the final high prices, stating: “We’re happy. Nothing ever surprises me.”

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were lovers in Depression-era America, and are perhaps the two most famous names in the history of American gangsters. Romanticised in films and by their deaths at a young age, the pair staged a shootout with police in Joplin, Missouri, on April 13, 1933. Police stormed an apartment where the couple were hiding out, but the pair escaped, and two officers died in the shootout.

The weapons sold at auction this week were found at the scene, and later given to Tulsa police officer Mark Lairmore, who kept them in the Lairmore family until this week. The guns had been in a police museum in Springfield, Missouri, from 1973 until late-2011.

The guns attracted several bids, including from one Michael Brown, who stated he was representing a group behind a new gangster museum being planned in Las Vegas. “There are very few guns with the historic value of that one,” Brown told Reuters. The winning bid would seem to confirm that.

Bonnie and Clyde Guns Sold at Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

A man who was caught on camera shooting a change machine is now being hunted by police – despite the machine refusing to cough up a single cent. In a word, fail.

The armed robbery took place in Winter Haven, Fla., at the ‘Busy Bubbles’ laundromat. CCTV footage shows a man bursting into the laundromat, unloading several rounds from a semi-automatic handgun into the change machine, and then fleeing after the device failed to give up its bounty. Outfought by a change machine. No wonder he’s hiding.

Despite the fact that no money was stolen and nobody was injured (an unarmed change machine aside), police are still after the perpetrator because he fired a weapon in an attempted robbery – the official term for the charge is ‘criminal mischief.’

The shooting went unnoticed for some time before police were contacted, because it was only after the manager saw the machine and checked CCTV surveillance footage that the shooting was discovered.

The suspect is described as an African-American man, average height and weight, wearing a gray hoody and dark baggy pants.

Florida has some of the highest levels of weapons-related crime in the U.S., yet attacks on inanimate (and totally innocent) objects are, er, slightly rarer. Well done to the change machine for holding out.

Man Shoots Change Machine, Goes on the Run is a post from: The Inquisitr

Oklahoma has become the first U.S. state to perform an execution this year.

Gary Roland Welch was a convicted murderer who was sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of Robert Dean Hardcastle in 1994. The 49-year-old was put to death by lethal injection at 6.10pm on Thursday, three weeks after an unsuccessful suicide attempt in prison.

Welch, a McAlester State Prison inmate, was the first Oklahoma inmate to be executed since January 2011, according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center. With his last words, execution witnesses say he paid tribute to his “brothers” at the prison and said: “So let’s get it on because that’s what we’re here for.”

He then repeated four times, “Valhalla, Odin, slay the beast,” references to a Norse god (Odin) and the realm in which slain heroes are supposedly welcomed (Valhalla).

Since his conviction, Welch had refused to show contrition for his crime, arguing that the 35-year-old Hardcastle attacked him over a drugs dispute. More than once, Welch informed the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board he would not apologize for killing Hardcastle, because he felt he (Welch) had acted in self-defense. He told authorities:

“To me, this was life or death. It was just luck that I survived. My intentions were never to kill him. But I also didn’t intend for him to kill me either.”

However, witnesses at Welch’s trial say they saw him punch and stab Hardcastle, before slashing the victim with a broken bottle. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said:

“Gary Welch had a 15-year history of violent crimes that included multiple assaults on women and police officers, burglary, stabbings and carrying concealed weapons before his conviction for murder. The punishment of death as chosen by a jury of Welch’s peers is reserved for the most heinous crimes. My thoughts are with Robert Hardcastle’s family and what they have endured for the past 17 years.”

Previously, Welch came close to receiving clemency from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. He was denied by a 3-2 vote.

Oklahoma Stages First Execution of 2012 is a post from: The Inquisitr

‘Banana Sam’ is a 17-year-old squirrel monkey who went missing last Thursday after some ne’er-do-wells cut through a gate and made holes in the fence surrounding the monkey enclosure at San Francisco Zoo. Staff feared the monkey may be gone for good, but on Saturday he was spotted at Stern Grove, a park about a mile from the zoo.

A bystander managed to coax the two-pound, one-foot-tall Banana Sam into his backpack, and then called police. He (the monkey, not the bystander) was said to be “hungry, trembling and thirsty,” but was ultimately deemed healthy after a physical examination with zoo officials. Zoo director Tanya Peterson says staff were massively relieved:

“We are so thankful to the community and to the San Francisco Police Department for this happy ending. I know it’s been extremely stressful for zoo staff during this time but we are grateful Banana Sam is back at the zoo where he belongs.”

Nobody has been arrested in connection with Banana Sam’s abduction, but a police spokesman said authorities were “looking at every possible avenue, including the bystander.”

San Francisco Zoo had offered a $5,000 reward for the monkey’s safe return. The zoo has since enhanced security around its monkey exhibit. While squirrel monkeys are not rare or particularly valuable – indeed, they are readily available in specialist pet markets – they are hella cute.

Stolen Squirrel Monkey Found Safe and Well is a post from: The Inquisitr

‘Gimme All Your Luvin” will be the lead single from Madonna’s next album, due out before spring 2012. However, fans got an early preview in November when the song popped up online.

The hacker allegedly responsible for the leak is described by authorities as “a big Madonna fan.” The 31-year-old, a resident of Zaragoza in Spain, was arrested as a result of ‘Operation Madonnaleaks’ – police have given his initials as ‘JMR.’ The man has now been charged and released.

‘Gimme All Your Luvin” was recorded with William Orbit, who also produced the entire album, Madonna’s 12th studio record. There are cameos from MIA and Nicki Minaj on the song. Madonna herself was said to be fuming about learning the single had been released. Immediately after the leak, the singer’s manager Guy Oseary said:

“Madonna told me this morning: ‘My true fans wouldn’t do this.’ Whoever is responsible for this leak, we ask that you please stop.”

The 53-year old star has a busy 2012 ahead. As well as her new album, she has also been booked as the half-time performer at Super Bowl XLVI on 5 February, where she’ll perform a stage show developed by Cirque du Soleil and the choreographer Jamie King.

Her new album is the first in a new deal with Universal Music. Her Madgesty’s last album, 2008′s Hard Candy, sold more than 4 million copies. Her accompanying tour set a record as the highest-grossing solo tour of all time.

Madonna Fan Arrested Over Song Leak is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lindsay Lohan has been defying her ‘bad girl’ image and taking community service pretty seriously, according to authorities. The actress (and now Playboy centerfold) has been piling up the hours at L.A. County coroner’s office, and is ahead of schedule on her court-ordered service.

For her community service, Lohan has been working as a janitor for 12 days a month at the morgue. This came after Lohan spent just a few hours of a 30-day jail sentence behind bars.

On December 14th, Lohan is set to appear before Judge Stephanie Sautner for a probation update. Those in the know told the LA Times that the 25-year-old could have finished her community service by March.

Her current sentence was originally imposed in May, following repeated probation violations in connection with the theft of a necklace from a Venice jewelry store and a 2007 driving under the influence conviction.

Court reports say Lohan missed 12 of 20 scheduled workdays at the Downtown Women’s Center, and canceled 14 of 19 appointments for court-ordered psychotherapy. Under her new sentence, Lohan has to attend 18 psychotherapy sessions – failure to do so could see her returned to jail for a heftier 270-day sentence.

When offering Lohan this latest deal, Judge Sautner warned the actress, “This is what we really call putting the keys to the jail in the defendant’s hands.”

Are you surprised by Lindsay’s uncharacteristically upstanding behavior?

Lindsay Lohan Doing Well on Morgue Community Service is a post from: The Inquisitr

Anthony Borgese, stage name Tony Darrow, has made a living out of playing mob and mafioso tough guys.

The Brooklyn-born actor has appeared in Goodfellas (as lounge owner Sonny Bunz) and HBO hit The Sopranos (as crime family leader “Larry Boy” Barese). He even landed a big role in Analyze This with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, and featured in Mickey Blue Eyes with Hugh Grant. But now, life has imitated art.

That’s because Borgese, 72, has been sentenced to six months of house arrest after helping to arrange a mob beating over the non-payment of a debt.

However, the actor seems to have got off lightly. For pleading guilty to enlisting a Gambino crime family associate to collect a debt for him, Borgese could have received up to three years in jail. The victim of the collection attempt had his jaw and three ribs broken (and this over a relatively small debt of $5,000).

The sentence was mitigated after Borgese struck a deal to talk to youth groups about why getting entangled in mob life is a bad idea. He was also told he must film a public service announcement speaking out against the mobster lifestyle.

On top of his six months of house arrest, Borgese received two years’ probation, as confirmed by a spokesman for Brooklyn Federal Court to The Wrap.

Do you think Borgese got away lightly with his sentence, or will his agreement to speak out against mob life result in wider improvements?

Anthony Borgese Gets House Arrest for Arranging Mob Beating is a post from: The Inquisitr

A South Florida mom who says she and her children had been living on $650 a month is standing trial for trying to sell her baby for $7,000.

Prosecutors say Kenia Bosque’s attempt to sell her eight-month-old son was a sad indictment of the economic hardships many people currently face. Prosecutor Katherine Fernandez Rundle acknowledged:

“And it’s really a sign of the tragic times because the economy is so bad for so many people that it’s just unimaginable, unspeakable that a mother would think to sell their child.”

Bosque was reportedly living with her children in an apartment and was behind on her rent. The apartment manager says she was scheduled to move out this week, which likely triggered the attempted sale of her son.

Apartment manager Raul Cordarvo said:

“She was renting here for four months. The first two months she was fine and then she began having money problems.”

Police accuse Bosque of arranging to sell her son to a buyer from Monroe County. Said buyer was working undercover with authorities, however – when Bosque handed over her address to arrange pick-up of the child, police arrested her. Her neighbors are said to be in disbelief.

While Bosque sits in jail, her children are staying with family members. Sad, sad, sad.

Mom Caught Trying to Sell Baby for $7,000 is a post from: The Inquisitr

When local officials at a tax office in northern India allegedly attempted to bribe two farmers who wanted to obtain property tax records they were in for quite the surprise.

Not willing to pay the extortion fees pushed upon them the farmers instead filled two sacks with 40 lives snakes, including four deadly cobras which they then proceeded to set free inside the tax buildings offices.

According to one state official:

“Snakes started climbing up the tables and chairs,” and “There was total chaos. Hundreds of people gathered outside the room, some of them with sticks in their hands, shouting that the snakes should be killed.”

Thankfully no one was bitten or suffered injuries as the offices frenzy continued  until the snakes could be captured.

In the meantime police are still searching for the two farmers, one of which is a snake charmer.

Apparently people in other countries also don’t like their tax officials.

Farmers Attack Corrupt City Officials Office With Snakes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Five people have been charged after allegedly attempting to steal the carcass of a lion from a compound in Zanesville, eastern Ohio.

The lion was shot dead last month after its owner, Terry Thompson, released dozens of his exotic animals from a private compound before killing himself. Sheriff’s deputies were forced to kill the lion and 47 other wild animals in what turned out to be a tragic big-game hunt. Bears and endangered Bengal tigers were amongst those shot dead.

Deputies have stated they were left with no choice but to shoot the creatures after they charged at authorities. Reportedly, the freed animals were also “dangerously close” to neighboring homes.

On Monday, police say they stopped four men and a teenage boy after the group, aged between 17 and 21, had been spotted loading a lion into a Jeep some hours after the animals had ran from their cages at the compound. The defendants were charged with a misdemeanor count of theft, and could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

By the time police had arrived at the scene of the crime, the dead male lion was inside the Jeep. It is unknown what the men and the boy were planning to do with the lion’s carcass.

The four men charged were Cody Wilson, 21, of Byesville; Richard Weidlich, 19, of Cambridge; Brian Matthews, 21, of Kimbolton; and Joseph Jakubisin, 21, of Cambridge, Haddox said. The identity of the teenager was not revealed due to his age.

Five Charged Over Dead Lion Theft is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brody Jenner has filed a police report after getting involved in a bar brawl with girlfriend Avril Lavigne.

According to Los Angeles police Sgt. Keith Green, reality TV star Jenner’s report alleges assault with a deadly weapon – the 28-year-old says he was hit by a bottle outside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Singer Lavigne has also revealed (via her Twitter account) that she was assaulted, saying five people attacked her “out of nowhere.”

However, one witness who spoke to Us Weekly says he didn’t see a beer bottle, and that Brody Jenner was actually the initiator of the fight:

“Brody came over aggressively and got involved. They were scuffling on the floor… Brody was the aggressor and had five guys with him. When they finally got up Brody was bleeding. There was no bottle with blood and no bottle broken or anything like that [visible].”

A second witness explains to Us how the fight was triggered:

“At first, the girl called Brody something and that set Avril off so she talked s**t back to them.”

Frankly, it sounds like an almighty mess. Sgt. Green thankfully has some hard facts, confirming that nobody has yet been arrested, and that Jenner, star of MTV’s The Hills, was not given medical help on the scene, though he did later attend a hospital for stitches to his cuts.

A police investigation over the scuffle is ongoing. Watch this space.

Brody Jenner, Avril Lavigne Report Bar Brawl to Police is a post from: The Inquisitr

The 62-year-old Venezuelan, real name Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, is already serving a life sentence for a triple murder committed in 1975. On Monday, he appeared before a special Paris court on terrorism-linked charges. The trial is expected to last six weeks, after which Ramirez may be handed his second life sentence. French law does not carry the death penalty.

The latest charges are tied to four attacks in 1982 and 1983 that eventually killed 11 people and injured 140 others in France. Ramirez has vigorously denied any role in the attacks.

In Paris on Monday, Ramirez identified himself as a “a professional revolutionary,” and sporadically raised his fist in defiance. His speech was peppered with Anti-Zionist rhetoric, and he smiled and looked confident throughout.

Before the trial began, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, Ramirez’s lawyer and amorous partner, told reporters outside the courtroom: “He’s in a fighting mood as always.” She added there was “no reason” for the trial to take place nearly thirty years after the events, and suggested French prosecutors were indulging in “propaganda or some other interests rather than the ones of justice.”

Coutant-Peyre’s assertion was disputed by Francis Szpiner, lawyer for some civil parties to the case, who argued the trial was vital in showing that the actions of terrorists will never go unpunished. Szpiner said the trial would contribute to “the end of the culture of impunity [for terrorists].”

Of the four bombings Ramirez is alleged to have carried out, two were against French trains, another at a Paris office of an Arabic-language newspaper, and a fourth at a French cultural center in what was then West Berlin. It is alleged two of the attacks were an attempt to pressure the French government to free his girlfriend Magdalena Kopp (who he would later marry and have a daughter with) and comrade Bruno Breguet.

Ramirez inspired fear in many western European cities for many years in the 1970s and 1980s. From 1973, he carried out eight attacks over two years. His causes varied from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to some far-left European terror groups.

However, as the Cold War dissipated in 1989, safe havens for the Venezuelan became more scarce, and he was eventually swiped by French agents from his refuge in Khartoum, Sudan in 1994, and brought back to Paris in a sack.

In Venezuela this week, President Hugo Chavez called Ramirez a “revolutionary fighter,” and insisted that Ramirez’s rights be respected during his trial in France:

“We cannot allow any Venezuelan, accused of anything, to be abused in any part of the world. We have a responsibility and we are obliged to uphold it.”

The trial continues.

Carlos the Jackal on Trial in France is a post from: The Inquisitr

28-year-old Joshua Monson has found out the hard way that stabbing lawyers is frowned upon in a courtroom. Who knew?

Monson is currently appearing in court on charges of methamphetamine possession, and has just lost his right to a lawyer. The reason? He’s stabbed not one, not two, but three of his own attorneys.

Thankfully, all of the stabbings were carried out with pens or pencils, meaning no deaths or serious injuries have ensued. But the stabbings did result in Monson being held down by leather restraints, and fitted with an electric-shocking device. And now, he’s lost his lawyers. In short, he has nothing left to stab.

Attorney Jesse Cantor was the third and final victim of Monson. The defendant managed to grab Cantor’s own pen while the prosecution was arguing its case, and stabbed him in the side of the head with it. The Herald reports:

“Witnesses reported seeing Monson reach across the table, grab the pen and stab Cantor in the left side of the head. Cantor was not seriously injured.

The incident happened as jurors were listening to a prosecutor’s opening statements.”

Apparently that was enough for the judge, who had previously banned Monson from bringing writing implements to the courtroom. Now, the stab-happy Monson will have to defend himself.

[Via The Herald]

Man Loses Right To A Lawyer is a post from: The Inquisitr

The 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report has revealed that more people are killed each year by armed violence than war.

According to the study of the 526,000 people who die violenty every year 55,000 are killed during warfare while 396,000 are murdered outside of armed conflict. A remaining 54,000 people also die due to “unintentional violence” while 21,000 are killed by police operations.

The study also found that Latin American and several other middle African regions are the hardest hit by street violence and unintentional violence.

In a scary statistic the study revealed that  El Salvador, Iraq and Jamaica account for more than a quarter of all global violent deaths despite housing less than 5 percent of the world’s population.

One of the hardest hit areas was Mexico’s Chihuahua state which witnessed 129 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010, largely due to armed drug gangs that have been competing to expand their territory.

The study also revealed that while most violent deaths happen to men there are still approximately 66,000 women killed each year. Interesting in the most violent countries there tends to actually be less female deaths when compared to less violent regions.

Does the 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report surprise you? With the number of people engaged in war compared to non-war participants the numbers in many ways make sense but still show a scary number of violent deaths internationally.

Violent Crimes Kill More People Than War [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

In what must rank as one of the more audacious robberies of recent times, state police in North Beaver Township, Pennsylvania have revealed thieves stole a 50-foot steel bridge. Yes, all of it.

In a report filed Wednesday, local trooper Darren Vizyak wrote that the bridge was nicked at some point between September 27th and October 5th. He added that the structure was made out of corrugated steel, and had a scrap metal value of approximately $100,000.

The 20-foot wide bridge was located in woods that ran alongside a railroad line, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. It’s thought the thieves used a cutting torch to dismantle the bridge, before taking it away piece by piece.

Police reported the owner of the bridge as New Castle Development. A message left for the company by authorities was not returned.

As you can probably tell from a town where a missing bridge goes unnoticed for eight days, North Beaver Township isn’t the most heavily populated of areas – the last count in 2000 showed 4,022 people spread over 43 square miles.

Locals could no longer be reached for comment.

Incidentally, this is not the first instance of crime against bridges. In 2008, an innocent 200-ton structure was stolen by Russian thieves, but that was ‘only’ 38 feet long.

Thieves Steal Entire Bridge is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 19-year-old Virginia man has felt the full force of the law for a spate of armed robberies carried out over two weeks. On Monday, teenager Raymond Lewis Perry was sentenced to almost 100 years in prison.

Perry, from Norfolk, was sentenced in federal court Monday for his crime spree, which saw him robbing a variety of commercial businesses in Virginia and North Carolina.

These included a pizzeria, a 7-Eleven and a LukOil gas station in Virginia Beach. A clerk at the gas station robbery was shot, but survived. Court records show all of the robberies were carried out in September 2010.

In the same month, Perry was also found guilty of holding up two Family Foods grocery stores in Gates County, North Carolina. His lengthy list of charges includes conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery, three counts of interference with commerce by means of robbery, and four counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

And his final sentence for these crimes? A stunning 96 and a half years in prison.

Perry did not act alone in his criminal activities. Two other men have been arrested in connection with the crimes, 36-year-old Wade Watford and a 17 year-old. Both are currently held by police and awaiting trial.

Perry was convicted in June, and will begin his sentence immediately.

What do you think of Perry’s punishment? Let us know in the comments!

19-Year-Old Gets 97 Years for String of Robberies is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Beaverton, Oregon couple who are alleged to have sexually abused and sodomized a five-year-old child they were babysitting may have had more more victims.

William Paul Gaskin, 40, was booked into jail on April 29th and charged with two counts of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of using a child in a sexually explicit display. His live-in girlfriend, 23-year-old Desiree Chapman, was lodged on charges of rape, sodomy and criminal mistreatment.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is now seeking further possible victims of the pair, after it emerged they babysat several other children and even advertised their services.

Gaskin was first investigated by detectives after a witness claimed he saw Gaskin molesting his roommate’s three-year-old daughter. Gaskin was swiftly held in custody after sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant on Gaskin’s apartment and found evidence the abuse had taken place.

Accusations concerning the five-year-old girl were made in August, while Gaskin was still in jail.

Most of the charges leveled at Gaskin and Chapman are Measure 11 crimes. That means courts could invoke Oregon’s “Jessica’s Law” if a successful conviction is made. That in turn means each would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, as well as lifetime electronic monitoring.

Anyone whose children were ever left alone with Gaskin or Chapman should call Detective John Shipley at 503-846-2596.

Police Looking For Sex Abuse Victims Of Babysitter Couple is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vancouver housewife Marguerite Houghton decided she would honor the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks by hanging a huge American flag on her house. This flag was a little different from others lining her neighborhood, however: her father had brought it home after serving in the Navy in World War II.

Days later, on September 17th, the flag was gone, nicked by some ungracious douche from the front of her home. This rather scummy crime quickly attracted the attention of news networks (as it has all the right ingredients for a story: patriotism, sentiment, moral outrage, and crime), and before long Marguerite was hosting TV crews in her front yard.

Understandably upset, she told them: “That was sort of like a part of him. It just struck a note when somebody stole it.” Houghton added it was only the second time she had removed the flag from her home, where it usually stays in a “tucked away”" place.

In a bid to have the 10 feet by 7 feet flag returned, Houghton has erected a sign on her porch (above), urging the flag thief to return her stars and stripes. “It was so wrong for somebody to do this, and I couldn’t let it go,” she said. “Why would anybody want to take an American flag? To me, it’s a sin.”

While Marguerite would love to get her flag back, she says her expectations are not high. She filed a report with the Vancouver Police Department.

World War II-Era Flag Stolen From Home [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mary Mazalic, a 34-year-old from Mukilteo, has been held on $500,000 bail after an emaciated 10-year-old girl was rescued from her New York home by Child Protective Services. The accused was known as ‘mom’ to the girl, though was in fact the girlfriend of the child’s brother.

Mazalic, who prosecutors say “repeatedly and brutally beat, starved, burned, threatened, humiliated and abused” the child, has been charged with first-degree assault of a child and first-degree criminal mistreatment.

Hospital nurses taking care of the rescued girl had to assure her that she could eat anything she liked. The child is said to have responded with, “No, don’t spend any money. If you do, please write my mom [Mazalic] a note so I don’t get in trouble.” The girl reportedly watched Mazalic eat at McDonald’s, though was never allowed food there.

Mazalic was arrested by authorities after local shopkeepers reported the youngster’s emaciated condition. The clerks who reported the case said the girl shook constantly as she followed Mazalic around. Mazalic told store staff that the girl was a ‘bad kid.’

While the girl weighed an alarming 51 pounds when rescued, her two weeks in hospital saw her put on a further 20 pounds. Doctors said the girl appeared to have sat in urine for some time, and cigarette burns were found on the tops of her feet.

There was also injuries to the girl’s chest and stomach consistent with being whipped with some sort of cord; she told prosecutors that she was beaten with an extension cord while a sock was stuffed in her mouth to silence her. The child said Mazalic would take a break during beatings, such were their length and ferocity.

She also claimed she was made to sleep in a bathtub, take cold showers, and was forced to go without food. She was forcefed soap, and Mazalic, who often ate in front of the child, is alleged to have said “too bad” when the child said she was hungry.

The girl was sent to Mazalic’s home by her parents, who paid Mazalic to take care of her. Mazalic has made false claims of being the girl’s adoptive mother, according to detectives. She has also falsely stated that the girl was expelled from school for stealing.

Mazalic was arrested last week and is to be arraigned on the charges Tuesday in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Mary Mazalic Held on $500k Bail After Torture of Child is a post from: The Inquisitr