Four Oklahoma suspects are behind bars after police say they senselessly abused a disabled boy.
The Express-Star reports that according to court documents filed at the Grady County Courthouse, four adults continuously abused a 13-year-old disabled boy inside a trailer home in Rush Springs. While some of the suspects are accused of physically abusing the boys, another is accused of doing nothing to prevent the abuse from happening.
The child’s mother, April Summers, was arrested on Thursday, along with three other adults, including Jeffrey Rasmussen and Amber Barnes. All three are charged with “child abuse and/or failure to protect from child abuse,” according to the outlet. A fourth suspect, George Mount, has been charged with failure to protect the boy from neglect and abuse.
Police are searching for a fifth suspect, William Barnes, for child abuse, neglect and failure to protect the child.
Court documents indicate that Rasmussen handcuffed the boy to a table nightly, and left him there to sleep on a hard floor without a blanket or pillow. The boy told authorities he “wet himself” because he couldn’t get to the restroom during the night. Rasmussen is also accused of burning the boy when he threw a lit cigarette on him, according to police.
William Barnes, who reportedly slept in same the room as the boy, is accused of urinating on him several times while intoxicated.
Summers reportedly taped paper her son’s head with super glue, then ripped it off. According to a Grady County Sheriff’s officer, the boy had visible injuries to his head. Further, Amber Barnes, Summers, and Rasmussen burned the victim’s skin with a “chalk-like substance” and threw him outdoors on a pile of trash.
Authorities were alerted to the situation after the child’s teacher contacted the Department of Human Services. DHS then notified police.
“She picks him up in the morning and takes him home at the end of the day. When she picks him up, a lot of times, most times, he smells like urine,” Grady County Undersheriff Phil Blevins told News 4.
“The reason why he smells that way is because, when he gets there, a lot of times, they’ll give him a shower. They’ll change his clothes, wash his clothes but, during the night, he’s handcuffed beside the bed.”
During a welfare check to the home in February, DHS workers noticed a strong smell of urine coming from the home. They also noted cockroaches scattering around the walls and in holes, and old food left out on the counter.
Summers is also accused of making fun of her son on social media. She allegedly sent two videos to Ambers Barnes, which showed a woman’s hand poking the boy’s with a needle while male’s voice was heard taunting the victim, telling him he would contract hepatitis.
The pair allegedly joked about the video via text messages, despite the boy screaming when poked with the syringe.
“This child is going to have some things to deal with for years to come and, with him having a disability already, it’s very unfortunate and sad,” Blevins added.
All four suspects remain behind bars. Meanwhile, the victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with malnutrition.
The story continues to develop. Check back CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Amber Barnes, Jeffrey Rasmussen, April Summers, George Mount/Police Handout]
