A woman from Warrensburg, Missouri is being charged for reportedly mistreating her child.
Last week, prosecutors in Johnson County, Missouri charged Ashley Wallender with serious offenses including first-degree domestic assault, abuse or neglect of a child, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Based on court documents, Warrensburg police officers were called to a residence on June 27 to investigate a case of child abuse involving a child who is less than one year old.
According to court documents, when officers arrived at the home, they observed the victim with significant bruising at various stages of healing and a cigarette burn mark on the thigh.
According to Wallender, the child was not feeling well and experienced vomiting. They had scheduled an appointment in the morning but were unable to attend due to lack of transportation. According to court documents, it was later confirmed that Wallender did not show up for the appointment without giving any prior notice.
According to her, the child had fallen off a bed that was 1 1/2 feet tall, two days prior, which resulted in the bruises.
9-year-old Handicapped and Non-Verbal Girl Brutally Molested by Therapist in California; Man Arrested by Authorities
According to court documents, Wallender explained that there were scratches and cuts on the child because a vase had broken on the floor and she might have missed some small shards of glass while sweeping. Wallender agreed to accompany the child to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
According to court documents, medical staff at the hospital observed significant bruising, burn marks, human bite marks, and puncture sites on the soles of the child’s feet. The child was brought to Children’s Mercy Hospital for a comprehensive examination.
The scan clinic at Children’s Mercy reached out to detectives to inform them that they had diagnosed the child with physical abuse as reported by Fox4KC News.
According to court documents, Wallender has denied any awareness of physical abuse towards the child. She claimed that she believed the visible bruising was a result of falling off the bed. When questioned about the additional bruises and marks on the child, she firmly denied seeing any other injuries and maintained that she was not responsible for causing them.
Wallender has been placed in jail with a bond amounting to $50,000. She appeared in court on Wednesday, July 3, and entered a plea of not guilty.
Mother Arrested in North Carolina after Son found Unresponsive after Drug Overdose: Authorities
