Sallisaw couple charged with felony child abuse

AMIE

A Sallisaw couple is facing a felony charge each of child abuse after they reportedly used unreasonable force on a child under the age of 6 by whipping the child excessively, leaving marks and bruises to the child‚s back and thighs.

Kali J. McDowell, 23, and Jake Pruitt, 23, were charged Aug. 16 in Sequoyah County District Court. McDowell received a $25,000 bond and is now scheduled to appear before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters for an Oct. 10 felony disposition docket. No court dates have been scheduled for Pruitt as of press time, Tuesday afternoon.

Sallisaw Police Lt. Devin Harriman reported on Aug. 10 he was contacted by Department of Human Services to assist with a child abuse investigation on S. Adams in Sallisaw.

At the location, the DHS worker reportedly showed photos of the child to Harriman showing bruises from the bend of the child‚s knee all the way to the child‚s lower back. According to the probable cause affidavit, there was also bruising on the inside of the child‚s thighs and McDowell claimed she had “pretty much lost composure for a minute.” She also stated this was the first time she had ever whipped the child with a belt and that the bruising was allegedly caused after she had “lost her composure.”

McDowell reportedly told the officer that none of the child‚s injuries were intentional and she had not hit the child with “full force.” When Harriman asked her about the handprint bruise on the child that appeared to be bigger than her handprint, she claimed it was from falling on a dresser. She went on to say that after several attempts to make the child take a nap, she laid the child face down on the bed and whipped the child with a belt three times. She said the child then went to sleep.

McDowell told police she didn‚t mean to put the bruises on the child, and again admitted to being overwhelmed, according to the affidavit. She said she then called her boyfriend, Pruitt, and told him what happened and he said he would help her when he got off work. McDowell stated she was pregnant and after she was handcuffed, she was transported to the Sallisaw City Jail and booked in.

During an interview with McDowell, she admitted that on Aug. 5 she became overwhelmed while watching the child and grabbed a belt which she and Pruitt purchased at Walmart together to specifically discipline the child with. She went on to say she messed up badly when she realized the child was bruised and was upset that she had hurt the child. She agreed with authorities that she was excessive but had no intentions of hurting the child.

When the child was interviewed, the child said both McDowell and Pruitt spanked her with the belt but that “Jake” hits the child harder. The child claimed both Mc-Dowell and Pruitt gave the child the bruises. The child said Jake whipped the child with the belt first and then McDowell.

Pruitt came to the police department where he agreed to speak to officers but didn‚t want to answer certain questions, according to the affidavit. When asked if he spanks the child, Pruitt told police he didn‚t, that he just got onto the child verbally. When questioned about punishing the child with a belt, he claimed the only reason he knew about the belt was because McDowell told him about it.

One of the officers asked him if they were to pull video footage from Walmart of him and McDowell purchasing the belt together, if he would remember purchasing the belt. Pruitt then changed his answer and said they did go to Walmart to purchase the belt but it was not to whip the child with. He said they paid $12 for the belt for him to wear, according to the affidavit. He then asked for an attorney and was escorted to the Sallisaw City Jail where he was later booked in on the charge.

Photos were also submitted of Pruitt‚s handprint laid next to a ruler for size comparison purposes to the child‚s bruises.

If found guilty of the crime, McDowell and Pruitt each face imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections not exceeding life imprisonment, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000 or both fine and imprisonment, according to District Attorney Jack Thorp.