Denen said Reed referred to the 4-year-old as “idiot”; Reed told police he sometimes called to the child by the name but claimed it was only a joke.
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The Sentinel-Record reports that Jennifer Denen, 30 and her boyfriend Clarence Reed, 47, of Arkansas were taken into custody on Friday and charged with domestic abuse.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services workers examined the child, who also spoke with police at the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center.
She had a black eye, a swollen right cheek, dried blood in the corner of her mouth, and a bruise on her forehead.
There were also ligature marks on her wrist from when she was reportedly tied to the bed and a chair in the home.
Authorities discovered Denen’s four-year old daughter had been repeatedly abused by her boyfriend.
Officers asked the girl her name, and she reportedly responded, “idiot”. But instead of a plastic bat, he told police, he had used a half-inch-thick wooden paddle, according to the report. Denen, meanwhile, admitted that she failed to seek medical attention for her daughter.
Reed also spanked the child with a plastic bat, according to what the mother told police.
The couple had five other kids under their roof, including an 11-month old that was their only child together. The couple is facing several charges including endangering the welfare of a minor and permitting abuse of a minor. Denen’s four older children are now with their biological father.
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Denen and Reed, who have both pleaded innocent, remained at the Garland County jail as of Tuesday morning in lieu of $500,000 bond each, records show.
