Cleveland, OH – A couple from Cleveland County has been taken into custody and is now confronting charges related to child abuse.
Authorities in Cleveland County have taken a mother and father into custody following serious allegations of child abuse.
The allegations include severe instances of sexual and physical mistreatment, as well as neglect, with some details being too graphic to disclose.
Allegations in court documents reveal that the children endured harsh treatment at the hands of their father, Checotah Fielder, including being made to roll in sticker patches, being struck with bull whips, and suffering from small knife cuts.
One child recounted an incident of being struck with a firearm, while another child presented evidence of being shot with a BB gun, as a pellet was discovered lodged in his leg.
Chere Fielder, the mother, is said to have witnessed the abuse unfold without intervening. Oklahoma has established laws addressing the issue of “failure to protect.”
“No one should get off the hook completely for allowing their children to be abused. It needs to be a fair system, but these people certainly need more resources for help and we don’t have enough of those in Oklahoma,” said Joe Dorman, CEO, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
This month, authorities took the parents into custody, yet court records indicate that DHS was notified back in June regarding a child’s fractured arm. The child allegedly provided a false account regarding the circumstances of his injury to protect his parents.
“You never know in a situation like this how the caseworker handled the situation, but if the kids are lying, often times they have to go by that,” said Dorman.
In Oklahoma, there is a legal obligation to report any suspected cases of child abuse. This evening, the pair finds themselves in the Cleveland County Jail.
A mother is charged with four counts related to enabling child abuse, while the father is facing multiple charges, including four counts of abuse, five counts of sexual abuse, and one count of neglect.