Dakota Valkyrie
January 31st, 2009, 08:04 AM
Two Lodi parents were arrested on suspicion of torture and child abuse, after their 6-year-old daughter showed up at school with burns.
The girl did not need hospitalization, but she had gone through "substantial abuse," Lodi Police Detective Steve Maynard. She will have permanent scars, he added.
"It's not the worst case I've seen, but it's in the top three," Maynard said of his 14-year career.
Javier Velazquez, 29, is the main suspect and was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and torture. A torture charge carries a possible sentence of life in prison.
The girl's stepmother, 28-year-old Maria Lupian, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse because she knew of the crime but did not stop it or report it.
Police were called around 11 a.m. to a Lodi school, where an employee had noticed the burns.
Maynard declined to discuss specific details of the case. He did not name the school or disclose the parents' address, in an attempt to protect the girl's identity.
He added that there was no sign of sexual abuse.
Three other children in the home did not appear to be abused, Maynard said. All four, ranging in age from 3 to 9, were taken into protective custody.
The parents were booked into the Lodi jail and are expected to be arraigned in court next week.http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/01/31/news/8_abuse_090131.txt
The girl did not need hospitalization, but she had gone through "substantial abuse," Lodi Police Detective Steve Maynard. She will have permanent scars, he added.
"It's not the worst case I've seen, but it's in the top three," Maynard said of his 14-year career.
Javier Velazquez, 29, is the main suspect and was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and torture. A torture charge carries a possible sentence of life in prison.
The girl's stepmother, 28-year-old Maria Lupian, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse because she knew of the crime but did not stop it or report it.
Police were called around 11 a.m. to a Lodi school, where an employee had noticed the burns.
Maynard declined to discuss specific details of the case. He did not name the school or disclose the parents' address, in an attempt to protect the girl's identity.
He added that there was no sign of sexual abuse.
Three other children in the home did not appear to be abused, Maynard said. All four, ranging in age from 3 to 9, were taken into protective custody.
The parents were booked into the Lodi jail and are expected to be arraigned in court next week.http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/01/31/news/8_abuse_090131.txt