Carnation, WA–What do you think of when you look at the 2 oz. paper cup pictured above? I think condiments. Those little paper cups are pretty useless for anything other than a place to put your ketchup. For one 14-year-old girl, we’ll call her N.P., that cup signified her daily intake of water. One 2 oz. paper cup of water, per day.
On August 13, a sheriff’s deputy was sent to the home of Jon Pomeroy and Rebecca Long to do a welfare check after a call from CPS. A neighbor had called CPS after hearing screaming coming from the house the night before. The deputy spoke privately with N.P. after her father admitted that she had been the one doing the screaming. He noted that the girl was pale and skinny and looked to be about 7-8 years old. At 4’7″ and weighing in at 47 pounds, N.P. had quite a story to tell.
Upon investigation, detectives found that N.P.’s stepmother, Rebecca Long, used deprivation as discipline. She deprived the child of food and water. Long restricted the girl’s water intake to half a small dixie cup a day. Long monitored the girl’s showers and bathroom habits to keep her from drinking water. Showers were only allowed once every two or three weeks. And since Long didn’t want the girl sneaking any water, brushing her teeth wasn’t an option. She was primarily given toast to eat.
She was locked in her room with a double-key deadbolt, day and night. At one point, her younger brother had access to a key, and he let her out occasionally. She would then sneak into the bathroom to drink from the toilet. She was afraid to turn on the faucet because her stepmother might hear the water running. Long eventually found out the girl was drinking from the toilet. N.P.’s punishment for drinking out of the toilet? Long duct-taped the child’s hands behind her back and dunked her head in the toilet. Bitch. Both of the children were then forced to sleep on the floor in their parents bedroom. A heavy dresser was pushed in front of the door each night, so neither of the children could sneak out.
N.P. told detectives that at one point, it got so bad during the winter, she would wait for water to condense on the window in her room and she would suck up what water she could with a straw. At some point, Long found the straw and took it.
This wasn’t the first time CPS had been called on this family. In 2005, a teacher called CPS with concerns about the girl. N.P. had told one of her teachers that her stepmother kept her locked in her room. Caseworkers did find evidence of neglect and they knew that Long was locking the girl in the bedroom. Yet, they didn’t remove the children at that time. Why? Because Long admitted that she knew it was wrong and promised not to do it anymore. CPS recommended counseling and closed the case about a month later. Shortly after that, Long and Pomeroy decided to ‘home-school.’
Bet ya wonder what the stepmonster has to say about all this, don’t ya? In the charging documents, Long admits to all of the abuse, stating that N.P. doesn’t get along with her because of a ‘power struggle.’ I can’t see much of a struggle between a grown woman and a malnourished, dehydrated teen-ager. When confronted about the 2 oz. dixie cups for water, Long admitted that’s what she used. She admitted to dunking the child’s head in the toilet. Long also admits that neither child has been to the doctor in years because, ‘they do not get germs and they do not get sick,’
And Mr. Pomeroy? He was fully aware that his wife was using deprivation as discipline, but did not intervene. And he did admit that he thought it was ‘odd’ that his 14-year-old daughter looked like she was 7, but he didn’t think to seek out any professional help or treatment for her. (Or maybe give the child some FOOD AND WATER)!! As far as the power struggle between the two, he said ‘that the conflict was concerning, but he thought they could just handle it themselves.’ He also admitted to the fact that his daughter had not received any medical care since about 2002 or 2003.
A search warrant was served on the residence on August 22. The Sheriff’s Office seized evidence showing that the family neglected to get her medical care, despite having health insurance. The family’s two dogs, however, were in great health and had recently been taken to a vet. The girl’s 12-year-old brother had also visited a doctor within the past few years.
N.P. spent two weeks at Seattle Children’s for severe malnutrition. Every one of her teeth were eroded, chipped, or loose. She had 6 teeth extracted and the remaining were all crowned. She had to limit her intake of food and water in those two weeks, after not being allowed to eat or drink for so long, it wreaked havoc on her stomach. In a psychiatric assessment, N.P. spoke of suicidal thoughts and fear of being returned to her home. There was no indication of any antisocial behaviors, oppositional behaviors, or eating disorders. During her two week stay at the hospital, she had already started to put on weight. Doctor’s estimate that N.P. hadn’t gained any weight since she was 9.
N.P. and her brother are both doing well in foster care now. In the past six weeks, she has put on 20 pounds! Her foster father says that she goes to a private school, she’s making friends, and is showing no signs of any behavioral issues.
If any of you are wondering about the bio mom, this is what I could dig up…Pomeroy and the bio mom married in the early 1990′s. The mother’s father, Robert Stokes, said that Pomeroy was ‘quiet, just a little odd.’ The couple divorced in the mid 90′s and Pomeroy took custody of the children. Robert Stokes lost touch with the children and learned that they had been taken into custody when he received a message from a DHS caseworker.
Rebecca Long and Jon Pomeroy were charged with first and second-degree criminal mistreatment. If convicted, they face three to four years in prison. Bond was set at $20,000, both have bonded out.
To you, Rebecca, I say…you are not fit to be breathing my oxygen. Fuck off and drown. And to you Jon, I say…grow a spine, you pussy-whipped POS.
Tags: abuse, criminal mistreatment, dehydration, malnutrition, neglect, Starvation
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