An Oklahoma mother allegedly sat by and helped as her boyfriend beat her young child with a belt, strapped her to a table, and forced her to wear a shock collar for a week.
An investigation into the toddler’s alleged abuse began on Friday when her mother Jeannette Wilson, 24, reported that she was in an abusive relationship with Gustus Pennington, also 24. She initially claimed that he beat her 3-year-old daughter for six days, the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office noted in probable cause affidavits, obtained by Oxygen.com.
Wilson said she and her daughter had moved in with Pennington one week prior. During that time, she claimed Pennington beat her child "with a belt, a board and had even put a dog shock collar on the child and shocked her for days until it [the collar] quit working,” the affidavits state.
Investigators noted that they saw "severe bruising, contusions and blooding whelps on the child's body" as well as "burn marks under the child's neck from the shock collar prongs.” The toddler "sat emotionless and seemed as if she was in a total state of shock" when the investigators spoke to her, according to the charging documents.
While investigators had initially believed that Wilson was also a victim, a day into the investigation proved otherwise. As per text messages discovered, the couple had seemingly planned and collaborated on the torture. Pennington wanted to discipline the child after he heard the child using a tone with her mother.
He bought a dog shock collar and allegedly thought that it could be used to 'rewire her brain'. Pennington has been charged with kidnapping, domestic assault, and battery with a dangerous weapon, child abuse, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Wilson has been charged with child abuse or neglect and enabling child abuse.