MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A Morgantown couple have been charged with child abuse after a juvenile in their care said they used a belt as a form of discipline.
Investigators learned the information May 28 during an interview at the Morgantown Child Advocacy Center.
The adult who filed the complaint told West Virginia State Police that troopers in Pennsylvania were investigating a report from a juvenile that an adult in Morgantown hit them with a belt several times on or about May 16.
The victim told troopers Tequila Pase, 25, of Morgantown, was mean and hits. The victim went on to allege she used her hand to smack and hit them which left marks on the victim’s face, according to the report.
The juvenile victim also told troopers that Christopher Brown, 33, of Morgantown, struck the victim with a belt and his hand and also hit another juvenile at the residence with a belt.
When troopers showed Pase a picture of the juvenile’s injuries at her home she told them she confirmed with the doctor that the juvenile plays outside bites themselves. When asked about Brown’s involvement she said he doesn’t try to hurt.
When Brown spoke to troopers at the Morgantown detachment of the West Virginia State Police he told police he only disciplines the children with permission from Ms. Pase first and that he had smacked the juvenile on the backside and confirmed that he had used a belt, but only as a last resort.
Both have been charged with child abuse resulting in injury and are being held in North Central Regional Jail on a $3,000 bond.