Michelle Henry and her boyfriend David J. Privette are accused of abusing her 7 year old son, after the child reported being abused by the boyfriend while his mother watched, to a teacher at Early Childhood Center in December 2007 and on March 4, 2008.
The child
alleges that the boyfriend beat him with a belt, burned him with a cigarette and urinated on his head.
School officials reported the abuse to Department of Social Services (DSS), but police were not notified by the agency until 13 days later. That was when teachers discovered burn marks on the boy’s genitals, pelvis and buttocks.
Superintendent of Schools Robert Sullivan later issued an apology to the boy for the school system’s delay in acting.
The couple plead not guilty in Superior Court yesterday and are both being held without bail, pending a dangerousness hearing.
The mother, Michelle L. Henry, 30, is being charged with assault and battery causing injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child.
Her boyfriend, David Privette, 23, is being charged with mayhem, three counts of assault and battery causing bodily injury to a child, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and intimidation of a witness.
Originally, at the first dangerousness hearing held in the Wareham District Court in March, Privette was deemed dangerous and held without bail, but Henry was not.
A grand jury later indicted the two, formally moving the case to Superior Court, where Superior Court Judge Paul E. Troy, ordered them both to be held without bail.
There will be another hearing at a later date to decide whether the couple should stay locked up pending trial.
Gary J. Russell who is the Middleborough's chief of police, expressed anger at the school as well as the DSS saying the police should have been notified immediately, which is what prompted the School Superintendent's public apology to the boy.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz is preparing legislation to require such allegations to be reported to the law enforcement immediately and
he says,
"This is a terrible, terrible case. Somebody made a huge mistake."
His anger stems from the fact that the child first reported being abused, via whippings with a belt, to school officials back in December and was left in the care of his mother to suffer more abuse until March 17, 2008, when the police stepped in to the case.
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