A Florida woman was arrested on Sunday for repeatedly standing by as her boyfriend abused her 5-year-old son.
According to WESH, Volusia County police said Taylor Schaefer’s son was filmed with his arms bound behind his back for hours at a time. Her boyfriend Shawn Stone, 32, was arrested in May for allegedly carrying out the abuse — which entailed him being the boy with a mop so hard that the head broke off.
“On another occasion, his legs, feet, arms, and torso were bound for at least an hour while Stone stood over him,” sheriff’s officials said. “The cameras also recorded instances of Stone yelling at and kicking the already visibly bruised and injured victim, with Schaefer also entering the picture and telling the victim to stand up straight.”
Concerning the mop incident, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Stone repeatedly kicked the boy — who begged for it to stop as Schaefer, 28, was in earshot.
“You see in (the video) where the little guy has a leg injury, he can’t stand up straight, you can see the burn mark on his back and this scumbag kicks him in the leg, knocks him to the ground, makes him stand up and then punches him to the face,” Chitwood told WESH.
According to the news outlet, the boy was also kept in a dog cage and was only fed oatmeal. Medical professionals who examined him reportedly found 46 injuries, including burns and a fractured skull.
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Two other children were in the home and police said they were also subjected to abuse. A 9-year-old was reportedly beaten, sprayed with boiling water, and forced to drink boiling water. A 7-year-old reportedly did not get medical treatment for a serious medical condition.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Schaefer has a daughter with cerebral palsy.
In regards to his mother and the abuse, the 9-year-old allegedly told investigators, “I think she was OK with it because she also does gets mad at him [the 5-year-old] whenever he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to.”
The news outlet reported that Schaefer got custody of her sons in 2022, the same year she started dating Stone. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that she worked for Community Partnership for Children, an organization that arranges mentoring, adoption, and foster care services. However, she was fired after Stone’s arrest in May.
Schaefer is charged with child abuse, child neglect, false imprisonment, failure to report child abuse, conspiracy, and evidence and witness tampering. WRBW reported that the three children were removed from the home the day Stone was arrested.
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[Featured image: Taylor Schaefer, Shawn Stone/Volusia County Sheriff’s Office]
