SALINE CO.—A Harrisburg woman has been charged with a felony after she spanked her developmentally disabled son with a belt.
According to information filed in the case, Tracie D. March, 27, of 104 West College St., Harrisburg has been charged with one count of Aggravated Battery alleging that on or about November 10 she caused bodily harm to her six-year-old son when she struck him on the buttocks and leg causing bruising and abrasions.
Reports indicate that on Nov. 13 the toddler’s father, David Young and his wife Laura Young who have custody of the six-year-old came to Harrisburg to take the boy back to Arkansas following a visit with his mother.
What the father found when he picked up his child were bruises and cuts behind the toddler’s leg.
Mr. Young contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, who is notorious for rushing in and taking children when there is no need with some of those children ending up dead or not doing anything at all and leaving youngsters in obviously abusive situations where they are beaten to death by a parent or parent’s significant other.
Photographs were taken of the injuries and placed in a file by detective Curt Hustedde.
Six days later (Nov. 19) a DCFS case worker (many of whom have no formal training and drug histories of their own) Chris Mosier arrived at the Harrisburg Police Department around 2:30 p.m. to hand deliver a report of suspected child abuse.
Some 14 days later (December 3) at 1:27 p.m., detective Hustedde finds time to interview the boy’s mother.
Tracie March told Hustedde that she had spanked her son three or four days before his father arrived to take him back to Arkansas.
“When I showed her the photographs of [her son] she said she didn’t ‘know it was that bad’,” Hustedde said.
Hustedde’s interview with Ms. March was recorded on a CD for use as evidence at a future date.
“After the interview I asked March if her current husband Jack disciplines [her son] and she said ‘No’,” Hustedde said. “Tracie told me she spanks him and I held up the photographs and asked, ‘So you did this not Jack?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’”
The case was discussed with assistant state’s attorney Eva Walker the next day which immediately lead to March’s arrest.
Teen charged with attacking senior
Kaylan E. Rockett, 17, of 155 Goolsby Rd., Eldorado has been charged with Aggravated Battery after authorities say on Nov. 22 she knowingly made physical contact with an individual she knew to be 60 years of age in that she kicked and struck Mary E. Bryant.
Rockett was released from custody Nov. 23 after a $500 cash bond was posted on her behalf.
Good teamwork shuts down violent teen
An Eldorado teen is facing some serious charges after he fought with officers resulting in the chief of police suffering a broken finger, but it could have been worse according to one source.
According to reports, on Nov. 26 at 3:40 p.m. Eldorado officer Jack Johnson was dispatched to a domestic disturbance at 1900 Forest St. Eldorado.
When he arrived he saw one male subject on the ground with another male subject on top of him trying to hold him down.
The man on top got up and Dakota C. Arthur, who was on the ground, stood and immediately started to lunge at another family member.
“I grabbed him and he fell to the ground and the other man got back on top of him saying, ‘please don’t arrest him,’” Johnson said.
Eldorado Chief of Police Shannon Deuel arrived at about that time and instructed the man to let go of Arthur.
When he did Dakota Arthur stood, started cussing and yelling that he was going to kill everybody.
That was about the time Deuel put Arthur back on the ground and rolled him over on his stomach.
Arthur fought the officers the entire time as they placed him in handcuffs.
Once Johnson and Deuel got Arthur to the squad car he kicked his feet and used them to push off the cruiser yelling, “YOU AIN’T PUTTIN ME IN THERE!”
As Deuel and Johnson were putting Mr. Arthur in the back of the cruiser face down he kicked violently at both of them.
Johnson quickly made his way around to the other side of the cruiser to pull him across the seat so the door could be closed but Arthur had flipped over on his back and was kicking even more violently.
With the two officers working together Deuel managed to grab Arthur’s feet and flip him over on his face.
Deuel held his feet, ankles crossed, knees bent as Johnson worked to secure a rope around his feet and connected it to the handcuffs in a hog-tied fashion as Arthur violently continued to get out of the cruiser.
Even after the hog-tie maneuver was completed Arthur kicked and squirmed violently enough that Johnson had to grab his shoulders and drag him all the way into the cruiser before Deuel could close the opposite door.
Once that was accomplished Johnson sat Arthur up in the seat and shut the other door.
In response Arthur flipped around again and started yelling “I AM GOING TO F*CKING KILL YOU ALL!”
The entire time “killer” was hog-tied and en route to the county detention facility he yelled, cussed, threatened and kicked.
As Johnson was transporting “killer,” chief Deuel radioed to him that he had taken his glove off and it appeared one of his fingers had been broken in the violent scuffle.
Johnson advised he could get “killer” to the jail by himself and could call county if he needed assistance so Deuel could get his finger looked at.
At one point during his trip Arthur was twisting and kicking in the back of the cruiser yelling, “LET ME OUT OR I AM GOING TO KICK ALL THE WINDOWS OUT OF THIS THING!”
When officer Johnson arrived at the jail with his passenger there were three large corrections officers on hand to help place Mr. Arthur in a restraint chair for his and everyone else’s safety.
One source close to the case said it was a good thing that Deuel and Johnson can work so well together because the situation could have gotten out of control quickly and led to even greater levels of violence.
The unemployed Dakota Clayton Arthur was booked on two counts of Aggravated Battery one for hitting and kicking chief Deuel, the second for hitting and kicking officer Johnson, one count of Unlawful Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor and Resisting a Peace Officer.
Arthur was held on $1,000 cash bond.
At the time of his arrest Arthur was serving a 24-month probation sentence for damage to property, which he obviously violated.
He was also ordered to pay $5,089.59 in fines and fees of which he has paid $20.