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Police: Indiana Man Allegedly Abused Toddler While High On Meth

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 04:13 PST, Jun 1, 2016

An Indiana man, along with two other people, has been arrested in association with the violent abuse of a 2-year-old boy. Tristate Homepage reports that 24-year-old Keith Crotti, 33-year-old April Goodman, and 29-year-old Joshua Kuhlenschmidt all face various charges in connection with the crimes committed against the child. The details surrounding this case are absolutely shocking, and authorities in Evansville aren’t shying away from sharing their thoughts about the three suspects.

On around May 26, the unnamed 2-year-old boy was reportedly beaten by 24-year-old Keith Crotti, who was entrusted to supervise the toddler while his mother was out of the home. April Goodman was at work at the time of the May 26 incident and did not return to the home until the following day.

Police say that Keith Crotti was under the influence of methamphetamine when he brutally beat the 2-year-old, which resulted in various injuries. Authorities say the Indiana man blacked at least one of the little boy’s eyes. A medical exam also determined that the toddler suffered from various injuries to his face, head, and scalp. His neck and torso were also reportedly bruised in the alleged assault. Unfortunately, authorities were not made aware of the assault until several days later. This means that the boy’s injuries were in stages of healing at the time of the medical exam.

Police say that a neighbor of the child and his family notified them when they saw the injuries on the boy’s face and body. Police also say that none of the members of the child’s family made any attempts to call police on Crotti or seek medical attention for his injuries. Evansville Police Captain Andy Chandler didn’t hold back his opinion about the Indiana man when he addressed this tragic case of child abuse with the public.

“The guy was brutal. He’s sadistic, and he’s evil.”

Unfortunately, child abuse incidents where drugs are involved aren’t entirely uncommon. According to the Child Welfare League of America, 40 to 80 percent of families in the child welfare system are addicted to drugs. Furthermore, some data produced by sheriff’s departments in the U.S. seem to indicate an increasing correlation between methamphetamine use and child abuse or neglect incidents.

Earlier this year, four people were arrested in Mississippi in association with an infant’s exposure to crystal meth. Included in the arrest were the parents of the 8-month-old baby, who ingested enough of the illicit drug to trigger a seizure.

Also this year, a group of four men in Vernal, Utah were accused of gang-raping a nine-year-old girl. The child allegedly fell victim to the horrifying sexual assault while her mother was using crystal meth in a garage on the property. However, the mother in this shocking case of child abuse notified authorities of the rape as soon as she learned about it, and admitted that she had left the girl alone with the man while she used drugs.

In this latest case, Indiana man Keith Crotti has been charged with both child abuse and neglect. The mother of the unnamed 2-year-old victim has also been charged after she failed to report the clear signs of abuse. She also reportedly failed to seek medical attention for the lad.

Also charged in association with the May 26 incident is the biological father of the 2-year-old victim. Police have charged 29-year-old Joshua Kuhlenschmidt with child abuse and neglect. However, it should be noted that the man was not present at the time of the violent incident. Like the boy’s mother, Kuhlenschmidt failed to notify authorities of the abuse and failed to get his son medical attention.

[Image via Evansville Police mugshots]

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