Cordele —
Local authorities have jailed a 25-year-old woman on a first degree child cruelty charge after she allegedly admitted severely beating her 5-year-old daughter with a belt early Wednesday evening.
A press release from the Cordele Police Department identified the accused as Shaqueria Smith, of a 506-D 23rd Ave. W. address.
Officers first learned of the incident Thursday morning when upon the girl’s arrival at school a teacher observed a mark on her neck and suspected that abuse was involved.
A Department of Family and Children Services representative examined the child more closely and, according to Detective Laura Pritchett, saw she had numerous marks on her body as the result of being struck repeatedly with a belt.
The detective said that when Smith was brought to police headquarters for questioning she admitted beating her daughter for behavior she wasn’t “going to put up with.”
In other activity on Thursday, officers:
— Arrested Tyrone Wilkes, 54, of 516 Seventh Ave. E., on a burglary charge after he allegedly entered a 504 Third Ave. E. residence recently been damaged by fire and removed appliances from it.
When the property owner realized the items were missing, he spoke with residents in the area and learned Wilkes had been seen loading the appliances into a pickup truck and driving away with them.
— Charged Costell Lavance Smith, 64, of 708 23rd Ave. W., with criminal trespass.
— Cited Michael Alan Pahlas, 25, of 513 12th Ave. E., for allowing an animal of his to run free in violation of the city’s leash law ordinance.
— Took a 16-year-old male into custody on charges of simple battery, unruly juvenile and terroristic threats.
The teen-ager who cannot be identified under Georgia juvenile law, allegedly struck his step-father in the face and threatened his life. The victim managed to restrain the youth until police arrived in response to a call placed to police by the offender’s mother.
Local news
Mother faces felony child cruelty charge
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